


All That Jazz

by midnightstarlightwrites



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: 1920's AU, Drama, F/M, Feelings revealed, Gangsters, Identity Reveal, Jazz era, Mobsters, Romance, Time Travel, no love triangles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-07
Updated: 2016-05-07
Packaged: 2018-05-31 19:53:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 68,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6485377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightstarlightwrites/pseuds/midnightstarlightwrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an Akuma attack goes wrong- Marinette finds herself in 1920's New York City with an entirely different Cat Noir. Meanwhile Adrien finds himself stuck trying to handle a very unfamiliar Ladybug. Both of them come to realise that you don't know what you have until it's gone. Feelings can reveal themselves in unexpected ways, and perhaps their Superhero predecessors will be able to teach them that...before time runs out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello AO3!  
> This is my first story posted on this website so...be nice? :D
> 
> This plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone. I hope it's as fun to write as it was to read! The first chapter is more action heavy, but trust me when I say the fluff, the angst, the drama and the romance are gonna hit you all full force very soon!
> 
> Enjoy :)

All That Jazz

Chapter One

It was supposed to be an ordinary day.

Well as ordinary as a day could be for Paris' superhero duo, Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"So what's the situation?" the aforementioned Lady swung down to her partner's side, peering over the rooftop at the man causing havoc down on the street. It was hard to focus today, but the plucky heroine tried to ignore her feelings of discontent. Not only had this stupid spring downpour meant that the picnic she'd planned with Ayla, Nino and Adrien had to be cancelled, but because of this stupid Akuma attack she'd probably be up past midnight catching up on homework!

She shook her head, now wasn't the time to feel sorry for herself. She was Ladybug after all, and the city needed a hero who wasn't so wrapped up in her own selfish wants or needs.

"Well my Lady, it appears we've got another Akuma who likes playing with time." Chat Noir grinned slyly and explained the situation. This particular Akuma attack seemed pretty serious. Time Twister was his name and, from the looks of things, his attack weapon was an antique walking stick. The man was old, small and spindly, but hyper powerful due to the Akuma that raged within him, controlling his every movement. Whatever he touched with his walking stick seemed to transform into an older version of itself. Cars turned into horse and carts, mobiles turned into CB radios and dial-phones, the concrete streets became cobblestones where he walked, but most disconcerting of all was what happened when he touched people.

Ladybug watched with horror as Time Twister pointed his walking stick towards none other than her best friend Alya. When it touched her she screamed and disappeared in a flash of white light. In her place was a young dark skinned woman, dressed like a hippie, who clearly had no idea what was going on. She promptly passed out. Marinette wanted to scream and cry out for her best friend. Fear clutched her chest, making it difficult to breathe, but all Ladybug could do was narrow her eyes at the scene. This was going to be tough, possibly their toughest mission yet. The pair of them leapt off the side of the building and onto the street, discussing tactics as they went.

"We can't get too close to that cane; if we get hit we're history!" Chat cried looking towards her. The rain began to beat down even harder than before, making his ears flatten from the weight of the water. Chat frowned, not only did he hate the rain (an after effect of being a cat) but the visibility was getting poorer by the second. Meanwhile Adrien tried best not to think about what had happened to one of his few friends, burying his fear in another clever pun. Despite the inner turmoil she was feeling, Marinette still had time to roll her eyes at him.

"Very clever kitty, but we've got to make sure we get the cane or the whole city will be, as you say, history" She smirked and even with the quotation marks she used, his heart still did flips at her mimicry of his joke- and her calling him _kitty_.

God he was in far too deep.

"LADYBUG! CHAT NOIR!"

Chat looked up just in time to spot the mind-controlled maniac rushing towards them, cane brandished high, ready to strike at any moment. The rain made it impossible to see his approach and (with a sense of utmost dread Chat realised) had deadened his cat-like reflexes. It was like a slow-motion train wreck, the cane loomed ever closer, the old man's face screwed up in demented triumph. Adrien steeled himself, ready to pay the price for his moment of weakness...

A pair of strong hands jolted him out of harm's way and Chat went tumbling to the ground, rolling uncontrollably before he slammed into a shop window. The glass cracked with the force of the impact. He looked up-

Green eyes met blue. The cane struck Ladybug and, before Chat could even register what was happening, his lady vanished in a flash of white light.

* * *

It wasn't raining anymore.

That was the first thought that popped into Marinette's mind as she stared unblinkingly at the dark ceiling.

_Oh. There's also a ceiling._

It occurred to her that she really should be panicking right now but all she could feel was a dull sense of numbness, like having a dream fall out of your head just after waking, she felt like she was missing something she couldn't quite grasp.

That was when the headache struck her; a throbbing, pounding pain at the temples which made her want to shut her eyes and hide under a blanket for the next twenty years. She rolled onto her side, groaning, getting on to her knees. Where was she? What was happening? She felt dizzy, lost, sick, all coupled with a growing sense of dread.

A pair of rough hands seized her, dragging her upwards, and she gave a strangled cry as she was forced into a wall. Her brain felt like it was going to explode, black spots formed in her vision, making it difficult to see. She tried blinking a few times and, thankfully, her eyes seemed to refocus. Standing in front of her was a young man, probably a few years older than herself, with dark slick-backed hair and bright blue eyes. His face was clean cut and chiselled but also contorted into an expression of rage. Without any warning, her memories hit her harder than her headache and she reeled-

The rain. The Akuma. Time Twister. Cane. Chat about to get struck. She couldn't let him get hit. She had to-

Oh god what had she done?!

" _Who are you and what have you done with her?!"_ The man gasped, his grip on her collar tightening. Marinette couldn't understand a word he was saying, his words had come out rushed and gruff, but she picked up on a few words. English! He was speaking English.

" _Who are you and what have you done with her?!"_ He repeated, and she understood better this time. His hands were shaking against her collarbone. Marinette was unsure if it was in fear or rage but one thing was for definite, he was going to get the hell off her. Now. Using the last of her strength, she grabbed one of his arms and twisted her whole body around from her hips, breaking his hold and promptly slamming _him_ against the wall instead. She wanted to grin at her crafty little manoeuvre, but decided that would only escalate the situation.

" _My name is Ladybug."_ She replied in slow, somewhat broken English. She wondered why his eyes widened in response, and tried to keep her voice calm even as her vision swam before her. _"I...look after Paris. I'm sorry. I don't know who you are talking about, but I'm...not...I'm not_ going to fight you." Her words slipped back to her native tongue as she herself slipped into darkness, falling to the ground and into unconsciousness.

* * *

Gone. She had gone.

Chat was finding it extremely hard not to lose his mind as he dodged more attacks from Time Twister.

Where was she? Where was his lady? Where had she gone? Why had she surrendered herself to protect him? Now she was gone and it was his fault.

He felt his world collapsing around him.

"What are you going to do Chat Noir? Your precious Ladybug has been sent away! Nobody now to take away my Akuma. You're a helpless little kitty cat and your miraculous is mine!" Time Twister laughed triumphantly, a wheezing sound which sounded like air escaping a corpse. Chat felt rage boil in his chest like venom, turning his blood black. His hands balled into fists and he snarled. How dare he, how dare Time Twister mock him when he'd taken away his partner, the only woman he'd ever-

No. No time to think about that.

He advanced, his staff ready. He couldn't get rid of the Akuma, but he could make damn sure Time Twister couldn't inflict any more damage.

A red yo-yo swung from the distance, wrapping around the old man's cane and snatching it from his clutches. Chat froze, Time Twister froze. In a bizarre moment of solidarity they both stared bewildered at each other.

" _I don't think so pal!"_ A woman appeared on the rooftop, reaching up to catch Time Twister's cane, clutching it in her red-gloved hands. Chat gaped as she leapt from the building, landing elegantly beside him as she snapped the cane in two. She grinned triumphantly, her brown eyes sparkling behind her black mask, her polka dotted flapper dress sparkled as she grabbed for the glowing butterfly, using her powers to cleanse it of evil.

Time Twister vanished; in his place lay a bewildered, frail old man. It was then Chat noticed how heavily he was breathing. He turned to stare at- at who?!

It was Ladybug. Definitely Ladybug. The mask, the yo-yo, the black and red polka dots, everything fitted.

There was just one problem.

She wasn't _his_ Ladybug.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which awkard introductions abound and our heroes try not to lose their minds completely...

** Chapter Two **

Marinette blinked up at the ceiling for the second time that day. There was a difference this time around though. For one thing it was a smaller roof, for another she was no longer on the floor.

"Oh good, you're awake."

Well she most definitely was awake after she heard the voice of the man who'd assaulted her earlier! She shot upwards like a bean sprout desperate for light. The older teen was watching her with, she wrinkled her nose in slight distaste, a cigar hanging from his lips. He was sitting in an armchair opposite her with an open copy of a well-loved book in his hands. She reached for her yo-yo, ready to defend herself if she needed-

Her fingers grasped at nothing. Her heart dropped to her stomach. She looked down and realised with a growing sense of dread that she must have changed back to normal when she passed out. Now this man had seen who she was, the first person to ever see her transform was a complete stranger! She felt a twang of guilt amongst the panic, Chat's face coming to mind. Oh god Chat! Where was he? How was he?! She'd left him all alone with the Akumatised man!

"Hey, hey, hey, don't panic Miss, I'm not gonna hurt ya," The stranger replied waving his hands sheepishly. He put his cigar and the book down to show he was serious. Marinette was also aware that he was speaking French, although he was using rather outdated words, and his accent was oddly _twangy_ "and yeah I want to apologise for earlier. I thought you were a henchman or someone pretending to be Ladybug. Once I saw Tikki I knew you had to be real, just not the one I'm used to. But that's no excuse for striking a woman, can you ever forgive me?" He looked down avoiding her gaze whilst Marinette just stared at him. It was as if her brain was on a permanent record-scratch. Tikki rested in the strangers lap and looked like she was in a very deep sleep. The young heroine could barely process what was happening. The Ladybug he was used to? He knew Tikki?

"Errm, s-sure I can forgive you. But _who_ are you and how can you speak French?" She asked frowning, she swung her legs over the chaise lounge she now realised she'd be placed on and glanced around the room. It was a dressing room of all places; a large mirror adorned half the wall, which was lit up by a few garish yellow bulbs. Costumes hung on a rack on one side of the room and a vase of red roses resided on the make up table. So she was in a dressing room, but where was she in the greater scheme of things? It was clear she was no longer in Paris.

The man glanced up again, his eyes were a much darker blue than hers, but they made her feel safe when she looked into them. They were almost familiar, very trusting considering how angry they'd been when she first came into contact with them. "Sorry, I forgot my manners. My Grandmother raised me, she's half French so that's a lucky _coinkidink_ eh? Must be something to do with your luck. I'm John, John Jones. People call me Johnny though. The papers call me Johnny blue eyes; star of the hit Broadway show _No No Nanette._ But they also call me _Cat Noir_ \- even though they don't know I'm the same person." He grinned slightly and he reached up to scratch the back of his head awkwardly at Marinette's shocked reaction "sorry if I admitted that too suddenly Miss, but I think introductions need to be got through as quick as possible 'cause I need to know my onions. I need to know what happened and what we can do to fix it. Do you happen to know where my Ladybug is, and why you're wearing that awfully strange get up?"

It occurred to Marinette that not once had John made a single pun, despite the fact that he talked as much as her and Chat combined (and that was saying a lot). Indeed he seemed like a much more serious Cat Noir. But from what he was saying, Marinette's brain started to work again, and it was giving her hope. If Johnny's Ladybug was missing then maybe she hadn't left Chat on his own after all.

"I'm Marinette. I'm sorry if this is going to sound completely crazy-"

"I think we all past crazy a little while ago Miss." He raised his eyebrows. Though his face remained fairly stoic, his eyes twinkled. Marinette smiled, the expression put her a little more at ease.

"Yeah, you're right I guess. I'm Ladybug but...I'm a Ladybug from the future. I protect the city of Paris with _my_ Chat Noir."

Never in her life had she said something so ridiculous and she was a _bug_ superhero.

"So Mary, my Ladybug, is probably in the future is what you're telling me?" He caught on quick. Marinette was grateful for that, she still felt a little shaky from the unexpected time travel and didn't quite feel like she had the strength to spell out everything. Although she was surprised he knew his Ladybug's first name, but she didn't meditate on it. "I guess then you'd like to know where we are?"

Marinette nodded.

"We're in New York City, and it's 1927."

She thought she'd feel a little calmer knowing where and when she was. But knowing she was an ocean away _and_ 90 years in the past made her feel even worse. What on earth was she going to do?!

"There was an attack. This old man called Time Twister had this walking cane which he could use to swap all objects and people around with their older versions of things. When he touched people I think they swapped places with their ancestors. I got hit by the cane and, I guess because I was Ladybug at the time, I swapped places with a past Ladybug instead of my own ancestors. This is literally insane. Ugh!" She stood up, starting to panic as she paced up and down the room. "How am I going to get out of this mess? Tikki is out cold! What if it's the same for Mary in the future? How will her and Chat deal with Time Twister?"

"Please don't make me even more nervous than I already am Miss." Johnny twitched, his fingers reaching for his cigar again, even though he didn't put it back in his mouth. His pleas fell on deaf ears though, for Marinette had completely snapped.

"-and what if they get hurt, what if she gets hurt and I'm stuck here and the timeline gets altered and we ruin history?! What if we end up destroying everything because of this?! WHAT IF BECAUSE OF US, HITLER TAKES OVER THE WORLD?! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, what are we going to do! Tikki, Tikki wake up! Let's go home please! I need to get back to Chat!"

"Miss calm down please, or ya gonna give me a heart attack. I'm already worried enough as it is." Johnny stood up, placing his Cigar (and Tikki) down gently. He walked towards her, slightly unsure in his own movements. "Mary in New York is a twister all on her own, let alone in Paris with crazy unknown enemies around and an untold amount of fashion boutiques. Here have some of this."

He shoved a glass into Marinette's hand; she looked down at the liquid brown contents, then back at him incredulously.

"This is whiskey."

He shrugged "Yeah okay, I know it's technically illegal to drink it in good ol' America, but they say Prohibition's gonna end soon and ya look like you could use a drink. It really helps with the old nerves you know?"

"No- I- I'm _underage_." She choked. "I can't have this."

He blinked, but respected her wishes and put the glass down. "Okay Miss, forget the amber juice. Let's just think calmly for a second. There has to be something we can do to get us out of this mess. Don't get me wrong you're a lovely lady and all but...I kind of need my wife back."

The mental record scratch was back.

"I'm sorry but your- your WHAT?"

* * *

Chat watched the pigeons flutter around the beams of the abandoned warehouse, desperately thinking of what his next move would be.

The Ladybug sitting next to him was completely out cold. She'd collapsed just after cleansing the Akuma but before she'd had a chance to put everything back to normal. He'd done the only thing he could think about doing in that situation, which was to bring her back to the warehouse he used to hide out and train in some evenings. It wasn't very comfy, but at least she was safe. They were safe. Now she'd transformed back into a civilian, a pink kwami rested on her shoulder. Based on what she was wearing, a dress similar to the one she'd worn as a superhero, except green with white beads and sequins adorning it, he guess that she was from the past, and probably American from the accent she'd used. He supposed it had something to do with his rotten bad luck that he'd technically gotten what he'd wished for, to finally see Ladybug's true identity. It just so happened that it wasn't the Ladybug he wanted.

Though he sure was grateful to her, whoever she was, she had saved his tail. And he was hopeful that, because his Ladybug had swapped places with another Ladybug, that the Chat Noir of the past was helping to keep his beloved Lady safe. He had to think that. It was the only thing keeping him sane right now.

The young woman, who Chat noticed was a little bit older than him, began to stir and Chat sat up straight. Sure she wasn't his usual partner, but she was still a Ladybug and he felt an instinct to protect her regardless.

She opened her eyes rather wearily and surveyed her surroundings. Her eyes met Chat's and he noticed they were an incredibly deep shade of brown. They were warm, friendly, and looked like they laughed a lot. He felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity with those eyes which startled him, but he supposed it was because she was a Ladybug that he had that connection with her. Still it wasn't as strong as the bond he had with his Lady (god he missed her already). There was a difference between a deep sense of camaraderie and a deep sense of...something more than that.

" _Hey there buddy. You mind letting me know where I am?"_ She said with an drawling American accent, confirming Chat's suspicions. So she spoke English. There was only one problem...English was his worst subject.

"Umm..." Chat replied, shifting uncomfortably, his Adrien-eque shyness revealing itself. "Sorry, I can't understand you. Err...umm... _I'm Chat Noir."_ At least he knew how to say that much in English.

She tilted her head to the side in a confused way.

"French?" She asked. He nodded and she mumbled something under her breath, which sounded very much like a curse word and Chat thought he caught the words 'Johnny' and 'Grandma', but that was pretty much it.

He couldn't help agree with her cursing though. She couldn't speak French, he couldn't speak English.

They were pretty much screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing awkward situations gives me life :)
> 
> Until the next time! Xx


	3. chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroes freak out some more but progress is kind of made???

** Chapter Three **

Adrien's ring began to beep.

Once again he felt the hand of dread reach through his chest and clutch his heart, squeezing until he was breathless. An endless sea of questions and decisions lay before him. He looked over at the past Ladybug and wondered if his own Lady had transformed and was now superpower-less in early 1900's America (at least that where he guessed she was, considering her clothes and accent). Once again he prayed that her luck could carry her through and that past-Cat was looking after her. The awkward silence stretched on whilst Adrien tried to think of his options. It was a school night, the rain had stopped and the sun was going down, dripping orange hues on the steel beams of the warehouse. If he wasn't back home soon, Nathalie (or worse his father) would start asking questions. But what was he going to do with the past-Ladybug? It wasn't just his _protect-Ladybug_ instincts guiding him, but also his own sense of morals. He couldn't just leave her here, alone in a different time, in a strange city not knowing the language. He wasn't a monster.

The young woman huffed, blowing a puff of air upwards so that her wavy brown fringe flicked up for a second. She got up, placing her pink Kwami down softly, and marched over to him pointing to his ring before gesturing towards herself.

"Mary." She stated simply, almost impatiently. Chat nodded. He didn't want to but he felt like, seeing as she had had no choice but to reveal her identity, he had to do the same. He was going to change back anyway, it couldn't be helped. Not wanting to look a Ladybug in the eye as he (in his mind) betrayed another, Chat glanced at the hard stone ground beneath him. _I'm sorry my Lady._

"A-Adrien." He whispered. There it was. The secret was out. He has finally told someone his true identity...and it was a complete stranger. He hated it. A final beep from his ring and he transformed back into himself. Plagg rested on his shoulder and said something, but he didn't pay attention to what was said. Guilt, regret and sadness consumed him.

A gentle hand was placed on his shoulder and he looked up into kind eyes, Mary was smiling at him encouragingly and it made him feel a little better.

That is, until she punched him straight on the shoulder.

"Ouch!" He cried rubbing the sore spot. Plagg chuckled.

" _Snap out of it already."_ Mary rolled her eyes at Adiren whilst he pouted a response, feeling like he was being admonished, he then shot Plagg a glare for laughing at his expense.

"It serves you right for being so mopey! Now I'm going to have to be the one to explain what's going on." The black-cat Kwami scoffed and flew towards Mary, who instantly brightened up. " _Hello Mary, long time no see._ "

She greeted him in earnest and they began talking wildly, this gave Adrien a lot of hope and yet even more questions. Plagg could be an interpreter for now, although he got the feeling the cheeky Kwami would have to be bribed with an obscene amount of cheese to do it. However... why was it that Plagg and Mary were able to talk so calmly to each other? Unless-

"Do you and Cat Noir know each other in real life?!" Adrien cried, shocked, shifting forwards into Mary's personal space without realising. Two different glances were sent his way, Mary's was confused whilst Plagg stuck out his tongue.

"Ya know it's really rude to interrupt people when they're talking!"

"Plaaaaaag." Adrien knew he was whining but still, the question _had_ to be answered. Plagg _tsk-ed_ before turning to Mary and repeating (hopefully) what Adrien had asked. To his surprise Mary hung her head back and laughed loud. It seemed like she laughed from her very soul. Adrien looked at her, bewildered. When she held up her hand and pointed to the very obvious wedding ring on her finger bewilderment turned into something he couldn't quite into words, but it was as if someone poured all of the emotions to do with shock, amazement and confusion into his mind-blender and put them on a highest powered setting. After she stopped laughing she looked at Plagg and began saying something to him in English. Plagg laughed again and Adrien added annoyance to the mental-recipe, these two were clearly going to mock him all day.

"She said," Plagg repeated slowly, as if he were stupid, and Adrien felt the hairs on his neck stand up "that Cat Noir, Johnny, is her husband you silly kitten- she specifically told me to call you that."

But Adrien had stopped paying attention; he hadn't even heard the endearment/slight insult. His mind halted everything else filtering in and was only concentrating on what Mary had said. _Husband._

_Hus-band._

_As in that thing that you vow to be FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE._

_Cat Noir is her HUSBAND._

_Ladybug and Cat Noir are MARRIED._

Mary waved a hand over Adrien's face and frowned, his eyes had completely glazed over.

" _Err, is he doin' ok?"_ Mary looked at Plagg, who shrugged off her concerns.

" _Yeah he'll be fine, you just broke his brain that's all."_

* * *

"What- I just- I mean- WHAT do you mean you're MARRIED?!" Marinette cried, seemingly more distressed over how nonchalant Johnny was being. In fact he'd just casually turned his back to her and was rooting through a rack of costumes as if he gave brain-destroying news on a daily basis.

"It means exactly what it means, Miss." Johnny replied over his shoulder. His tone was weather-reading levels of blunt as Marinette's head swam with the news. "Mary and I are married. Have been for about two years now, been together for four years, and known each-others secret identities for three years. It's been pretty hectic to say the least. Ya think you can fit into this?"

He pulled a lovely, drop-waist dress from the rack. Briefly distracted from the colossal shock she'd just received, Marinette's fashion-fanatic muse woke. She practically drooled over the retro-chic value (which she realised was probably only chic _because_ it was retro to her, most likely it was as normal to Johnny as her jeans were to her). Draped in periwinkle blue, which would match her eyes, the dress had embroidered leaves travelling in a sash-like manner from the left hip all the way up to the translucent chiffon of the right sleeve. On top of the hanger rested a cloche hat of the same colour, with a navy blue ribbon tied around the rim that had the same style of leaf pattern. Suddenly the dress was everything she needed. However she was forced out of her musings when she noticed Johnny looking at her with a concerned expression.

"It- it should fit." She stammered, awkwardly running her hands through her hair in a nervous twitchy manner _we're not in 2016 anymore Mari, people aren't used to your freakiness here_ "why do you ask?"

"Well I'm just thinking we can't stay in the theatre all night, people'll get suspicious. Plus I've slept a night on that chair before and I ain't doing it again. Back ache like you wouldn't believe. You and Tikki can come back to my apartment for the evening, it'll be safe there and we can think of a plan, but you'll need to dress appropriately, we can't have you attracting too much attention or we could mess things up something fierce."

Marinette shifted from foot-to-foot. She understood where he was coming from; that she would have to leave, but as stupid as it sounded this dressing room had become a little safe haven of denial for her. The whole time-travel thing seemed like a weird dream. If she put on the dress and walked outside then that would mean it was all real, that she was really stuck in Jazz-era New York, that she was the furthest away she'd ever been from everything she knew. It was a world so far removed from her own, the Ladybug and Cat Noir here were _married_ for god's sake! Courage slipped out of her body whilst doubts and fears began to seep in.

"Hey Miss no need to look so worried, I a'int gonna hurt you or- you know- _touch_ you or anything like that. Upon my honour as Cat Noir to Ladybug, besides I'm a married man after all." Johnny's tone was one-hundred percent serious as he walked forward and reached out awkwardly, meeting Marinette's eyes. The blue-eyed heroine wondered if he wanted to comfort her physically but had thought the better of it. Eventually he frowned, scratching his chin before he patted her head twice in what she assumed was supposed to be calming manner.

Well it definitely did the trick, because all Marinette could do was laugh. Honestly she hadn't even considered that Johnny could have tried something on with her (although in hindsight she kicked herself, for that probably should have occurred to her). Maybe with someone else she would have been worried about that. But he seemed like a nice man, he was Cat Noir after all, and Marinette had a instinctive feeling that no Ladybug would marry a Cat Noir if they weren't completely honourable- illegal drinking aside. Eventually the twin-tailed teen calmed down, feeling a sense of sympathy for the Cat Noir before her. He was clearly worried, as they both were, about their current predicament. Now was the time to reassure him.

She smiled, trying out a joke to ease the tension "I'm sure everything will be fine, I'll change into the dress but...if you're really honest about not trying anything dishonourable, do you think you could give me a little privacy?"

Johnny turned bright red and mumbled his apologies before practically bolting for the door, leaving a snoozing pink Kwami and her amused superhero companion behind. Wondering if Johnny always blushed at little jokes at his expense, Marinette couldn't help but chuckle as she changed her clothes. Her thoughts wandered back to her Chat and she considered what it would be like to make him blush. He was usually so flirtatious and confident; surely she could never get that reaction from him?

So...why did she suddenly think it would be cute? She frowned, trying to shake the image out of her head but she couldn't. An adorably red-faced Chat Noir, blushing at her teasing remarks, his own quick-witted remarks finally failing him. Her own heart quickened at the thought.

_Wait what? Why am I feeling like this? This is Chat we're talking about! Chat! That silly, flirty playboy. He's not serious about me, I'm probably just feeling like this because I heard that a Ladybug and Cat Noir are married that's all. That's totally it. Nothing to do with anything else, I'm just freaked out over the news that a Ladybug married a Cat Noir! That. Is. All._

"I don't have feelings for Chat." She mumbled as she fixed her hair in the mirror, taking out her twin tails so that her black hair cascaded in wavy locks from the cloche hat. Tikki gave a tiny sleep-snort in response but even being in a deep slumber; it sounded like the pink Kwami didn't quite believe her. Luckily for Marinette, she had her new look to distract herself from such intrusive thoughts. Alya would have freaked out if she saw her now, gushing over the dress and the hat and the hair. She probably would even go as far as to arrange an 'accidental' meeting with Adrien so that he could see her and "be wowed by her beauty" whilst Ayla secretly took photos nearby for them to gush at later on.

Alya...she feared for her best friend. The plucky reporter didn't have the safety net of a superhero-buddy (who, Marinette had to admit, was taking the news that his wife had travelled to the future remarkably well- apart from the drinking and the cigars) to look after her. Clenching her fist in determination, Marinette nodded to her reflexion. She was going to get herself out of this mess one way or another.

A knock on the door echoed throughout the room followed shortly by Johnny's muffled voice.

"Miss I ordered us a cab ride home, it's waiting outside at the moment but please don't feel the need to rush or nothin'. You can use Mary's coat, it's hanging up on the rack by the door, and I'm sure there are some shoes that'll fit you right."

"Ok I'm coming now!" Marinette grabbed Tikki and placed her into Mary's coat pocket before slipping the coat on herself. The coat was black and had a thick layer of fur around the neck and sleeves. Hiding her jeans, shirt and bag, and carrying her old converse with her, she rummaged through the shoe rack to find a pair that fit. Eventually she found a pair of black pumps that matched the coat and, though they were slightly pinchy, they did the job just fine. Once she was ready she opened the door to find Johnny leaning against the wall of the narrow hallway with his hands in his pockets. He seemed to be fidgeting with something and Marinette realised it was a pocket watch.

When she made eye contact with him, he said nothing about her appearance, only bowing with a friendly smile to acknowledge the change.

"You ready?" He asked as he offered her his arm. Marinette took it instinctively, despite not being used to 1920's mannerisms, she wondered if it was a trait she'd inherited from Mary- being linked to her through taking on the role Ladybug. She'd have to ask Tikki...whenever Tikki woke up. If she woke up.

_No don't think like that._

Marinette exhaled, puffing out her cheeks "honestly no, but I guess I have to be."

"Don't worry Miss we'll be fine." Johnny reassured but as she looked up at him, noticing his grip on her arm had subconsciously tightened, she saw he was staring dead-straight ahead. Marinette was sure he was trying to convince himself of his own words, as well as her.

"Y-yeah." She replied, leaving the next part unsaid.

_I hope you're right._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love how worried the all are about each other, poor babies...


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I did this chapter all in one sitting and it hurt me.  
> But it was still fun!

**Chapter Four**

"Ok make yourself at home." Adrien gestured to the sofa as they slipped quietly into his bedroom. Plagg was sleeping soundly in his jacket pocket, having finally succumbed to exhaustion whilst on their way back home. Mary took off her shoes, settling down and tucking her legs under her. Adrien was surprised; it didn't take her long to get comfortable, in fact considering all she'd been through today, she was remarkably resilient.

 _She's a Ladybug, of course she's resilient you idiot._ He chided himself.

In the end, he'd decided he'd had no choice but to sneak Mary into his home, it was the safest option. They'd climbed through the blind spots of his house to avoid the security cameras whilst he'd thought of a plan to understand each other. At times like these he was thankful for modern technology, although no amount of technology could save him if someone caught Mary in his room. He hadn't exactly thought of a plan for that, he just prayed they wouldn't need to cross that bridge.

He pulled his phone from its spot charging on the wall (ignoring the hundreds of texts from Nino, he assumed it was about the Akuma attack and maybe what happened to Alya if he knew at this point) and rummaged around for his old phone from the desk drawer. Putting the old one on charge, he downloaded a translation app and went to sit by Mary, who was looking around the room quizzically, particularly eyeing up his arcade games.

"This is a gadget that will help us translate what we're saying, so it's easier for us to understand each other. Just press the green button and speak" He stated into the phone and grinned when it successfully translated what he wanted to say. Mary's eyes widened and she snatched the phone out of his hands.

"What is this thing? It's amazing! Also what year is it? I can't believe I had to ask that question, crazy day _huh_?" Adrien could help but chuckle at her eagerness, she was clearly trying to slow down her speech rather than babble in excitement.

"Yeah it's insane. It's good to actually be able to talk to you properly...sort of. The year is 2016, what time are you from?"

"1927, so I suppose that's about ninety years in the future. Don't tell me too much about what's happened, I don't want my mind to go crazy with information I shouldn't know yet. _HA HA HA._ " She laughed as she talked and, funnily enough, the app actually translated it. They looked at each other and burst into fits of hysterics. Mary clutched her sides, doubling over, Adrien buried his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking with mirth. It was the most perfect, if strange, cathartic experience he'd ever had in his life. The stresses of the day were still there, but he suddenly felt that it'd be ok. But he had to ask, just for his own peace of mind-

"Were you with your Cat Noir when you were transported to the future?" His heart fluttered a little, hoping the answer was what he hoped for. Mary patted his arm gently.

"Yes, don't worry; your Ladybug is with Johnny. She'll be fine, there's nobody safer to be with in the whole of Manhattan than Johnny Jones. I know you had to be worried about her right? Is she your special love?" She wiggled her perfectly plucked eyebrows at him, giggling at his reaction.

Adrien turned bright red and leapt onto the opposite side of the sofa, any semblance of the cool collected Chat Noir instantly gone.

"S-special love? Well o-of course she's special to me, she's my Lady! I mean of course, she's amazing and brave, and smart, so of course I admire her. I guess you could say I have feelings for her but l-love? I mean love-love, like you and Johnny- I mean that would just be silly. She doesn't like me like that I don't think...I mean- I just- haaa...shouldn't we be talking about how we're going to fix this mess rather than relationships?" he trailed off, now burying his face in his hands for an entirely different reason.

_Excellent, I'm now an idiot to two different Ladybugs. I'm going to grow old alone and be one of those crazy cat men who wear bathrobes all day and yell at kids to get off his lawn._

"Hey genius, you forgot to use this thing, I didn't understand a word of what you just said, judging from your reaction I'm going to assume that's a 'yes' though." The blonde model looked up to see Mary, eyebrow raised, lifting the phone up and waving with the biggest smirk on her face. Adrien groaned. "But she doesn't know it yet does she?"

Adrien knew, he _knew_ they should have been discussing a game plan; there were people out there that needed them. His Lady needed him to be as strong and smart as she was. But in his cold, loveless room, in his empty house, sat a kindred spirit- a fast friend who might be able to understand him more than anyone else could right now.

He hung his head low and took the phone from Mary "she doesn't like me that way. Sometimes I think she could if she knew all the sides of me..." trailing off, he stared at the wall but didn't really look at it, instead he pictured what it would be like to finally show her who he really was "but she doesn't want us to know each other's secret identities and I have to respect that."

An awkward silence settled around the room before Mary leaned over into his space, blocking his view of the wall and grinning, snapping him out of his reverie. "You think that's complicated? Johnny and I were childhood sweethearts, then he moved house and I didn't see him or hear from him for years later when we were adults, but it was as Ladybug and Cat Noir. I didn't even know Johnny had moved back to Manhattan. It was only when he read the papers did he recognise me in an advertisement for a show I was in and came to see it. He waited after the show and reintroduced himself. There were some heated things said, I hated him for leaving me without a word for years but I didn't know the truth, I didn't let him explain, I have a pretty wicked temper see. Do you have a mirror?"

Adrien almost got whiplash for the change in topic, but gestured to the mirror on the wall and Mary went to fix her hair, which was slightly less kempt than what he guessed she liked. Aware that he was acting like a golden retriever puppy but not quite caring, he followed her, holding the phone so she could keep telling her story.

"Turns out Johnny's dad was a gangster who wanted out, something which Johnny didn't find out until they were already on the run. See there's one problem- in our time, it might be different in 2016, but in our time you either die a gangster or you retire when you're old and have paid your dues. Johnny's dad, Mickey, wanted out before his time. I don't know the specifics, but he tried to run and take his family with him. Eventually they found him; those people always find who they're hunting for." Mary spat that last part out in disgust. She lifted her hair up, removing her two hair slides and Adrien could see her black earrings glinting in the light. He guessed that they were what her miraculous looked like when she wasn't in Ladybug-mode. The green-eyed teen frowned, something in the back of his mind seemed to be nagging him, a connection he wasn't making- but he was sure he knew someone with those same earrings...

"Anyways Johnny and his mother spent the rest of his childhood laying low but they weren't ever bothered again, I think they couldn't be bothered with killing them. Johnny's mum homeschooled him as best she could but he was pretty lonely and shy when I met up with him again. I was so stubborn and hurt that I wouldn't hear anything he had to say. He came to every single one of my evening shows for two weeks, spending every penny he had to get me to talk to him. Eventually I listened and I cried for him 'cause the idiot never cries for himself," she frowned but her expression softened as she carried on, and her quick movements slowed, she began stroking her hair absent-mindedly. "We talked and danced and sang in that theatre until the dawn rose, and I convinced him to audition for a show. Now he's as big of a star as I am and we're married. It was pretty crazy mixing all of that with revealing our identities and a wedding and being secret heroes of New York, but we make it work."

Adrien wanted to sit down after hearing all of that but somehow felt better about Johnny now, like he knew him a bit more. If anything it was certainly interesting hearing about his predecessor and he definitely felt a connection with Johnny's upbringing, his homeschooled years were some of the most depressing, lonely years of his young life "jeez your lives sounds as exhausting as mine." He exhaled and Mary raised her eyebrows incredulously at him.

"But that's what life's about! What's the point of livin' if it _a'int_ crazy and exciting and exhausting?! Don't be so...what was it that Plagg called you, _mopey_? If you don't stop seeing the bad side of everything you'll never get your girl!" She ruffled his hair and took the phone from him, wandering away from the mirror and examining his room in more detail. Adrien scowled to himself, having to admit that she touched a nerve. "Take me for example, I know I'm ninety years in the future and I probably should be panicking right now, but I'm not you want to know why? 'Cause Tikki is asleep, once she wakes up all we have to do is use Miraculous Ladybug to change everything back to normal! If that doesn't work then I'll probably start panicking but for now, we just need to stay positive. Now what's this thing? It looks fun!"

She'd already come up with a plan. Of course she had. Whilst he had been busy panicking and getting flustered, she'd actually put her time and effort into thinking things through. He glanced over to see what it was that had caught her attention. She was pointing to his DDR machine. He smiled.

"That's a dance machine; you have to put your feet where the arrows are to the beat of crazy dance songs. We can play against each other." He grinned, his Chat side finally coming out a bit more, he stuck his hip out and flicked his hair confidently before walking over to the machine and turning it on. Luckily it was early enough in the evening for the sounds of the game to not attract any attention, not that there was anyone in the house that was going to come and check up on him, he was pretty sure his father wasn't even here "although I have to warn you, I'm pretty amazing at it. I usually get purr-fect scores."

Mary scoffed "sweetie, I'm a Broadway star for a reason. I'm going to destroy you. Your eyes will be _bugging_ out of your head at my amazing skills."

"Ah but you're in my time now." Adrien quipped, not quite able to hide his amusement from her joke even as he missed his Lady's eye rolls and sighs at his own pun-mastery. But Mary was right; once Tikki woke up they could put everything right. Ever the gentleman, he held a hand out to her to step up onto the platform, she pointedly ignored it, helping herself up.

"And you're in my area of expertise son. I'd wish you luck but you don't have much of that do you kitty-cat?" She smirked, her brown eyes darkening.

"You are so going down."

"Watch it, I'm a married woman."

"I- I don't mean that! I'm- hey!"

Mary threw her head back and laughed whilst Adrien turned red once again.

"Oh honey you don't have a chance." She smiled, and placed the phone down on the ground next to the platform. Adrien chose a song to dance to and they were off, a New York girl from the 1920's and Parisian boy from 2016, finally finding a common language in the form of music and dance.

* * *

The rain from the day before had definitely cleared, but the ground hadn't dried quite yet. Tiny little drops of water hung from bushes and clung to grass blades. Puddles gathered together one last time knowing their hours were short, for the spring sun shone down on them, making Paris shine as if it had been freshly waxed. It looked like it was going to be a marvellous day, a perfect day for a picnic even. Adrien brightened up a little, before all this mess he'd been looking forward to a picnic with Nino, Marinette and Alya, which the plucky reporter had organised. If the weather held, they could go on that picnic once Ladybug had set everything right with her Miraculous and Alya was back safe and sound. He hoped she was ok wherever she had ended up.

The news was rubbish. The only new news was that people were still missing from yesterdays Akuma attack and they were questioning why Ladybug and Chat Noir were taking so long to fix everything, questioning if they had fallen victim to the Akuma- which was absurd and fear mongering. In short, typical news. Adrien assumed the police had gotten to the few people that had been transported to the future (there weren't that many luckily) and that part was all being kept hush-hush. A good decision, he thought, lest the whole city panic.

Tikki still hadn't woken up however Plagg had, and reluctantly calmed his partner down after being bribed with about a ton of cheese. Apparently this happened sometimes if they overused their energy. She could be out of commission for a week but it would probably be sooner. That's what they hoped anyway.

"I'm sorry I got you sick, I should have ordered something more palatable than Chinese food last night." Adrien apologised again as he walked to school with Mary in tow. He'd managed to convince his driver to let him walk today, Nathalie would freak when she found out but he didn't care, he needed some fresh air. He glanced at Mary worriedly, she looked so different in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt (never had he been so happy to have the name Agreste, he was able to go to a local boutique early in the morning and buy her a change of clothes so that if anybody asked, she was just an exchange student in her senior year). Her hair was still the same, but she wasn't wearing any makeup and looked a little peaky.

"It's fine _kiddo_ , I can usually handle greasy food. You should see what I can put away normally! I think the time travel must have messed with me more than I thought. I'll be alright." And she was true to her word, it took her about ten minutes to feel well and she was excitedly pointing to all the different cars they saw on their way, amazed by the variety she saw. She liked the sports cars the most, particularly the red and black ones, and the cute smart cars second. He wasn't surprised by either of her choices.

Once they got to school, they made a plan that she'd hide out in the library when he was in class and he'd pick her up for lunch later on. The night before he'd given her his old phone and shown her how to use it to keep in contact, a task which had proved as exhausting as it had been hilarious, especially with her theories about how they made phones- wizards who studied maths and science at university was her top choice.

They separated, Adrien pointing her towards the library and showing her where the bathrooms were should she need them, before he made his way to class where he was immediately set on by Nino.

"DUDE! Where have you BEEN? I've been trying to contact you for-like-ever! So uncool."

Adiren blinked, leaning away and putting his hands up in surrender. "Sorry Nino, I didn't really have time to look at my phone last night, I-err-had a modelling job and just crashed afterwards."

Nino wrinkled his nose in disapproval "no excuse man, no excuse, do you even know what happened yesterday?! What happened to Alya and-"

But Nino didn't get to explain what happened, the teacher arrived with the chime of the bell and Adrien sighed in relief from the respite of his friend's wrath. They took their seats, Adrien pointedly ignoring the stares Nino was sending his way.

"Ok class settle down, settle down. I'm sure you've heard of the unfortunate event which happened yesterday." The teachers tone was sombre and there wasn't a single sound from her usually rambunctious class. It was as if a giant invisible hand wrapped around the air in the classroom, making it tighter and more claustrophobic. Nobody dared speak, "and it is with great sadness that I must inform you that two of your peers are part of those missing people." Her eyes glanced upwards to the seats behind Adrien and Nino, where Alya sat.

Adrien's eyes widened, he stopped breathing. _Two?_ Whirling around in his seat, he hoped against all hope. _Please, please, please, not her too-_

His eyes met nothing but an empty bench.

His heart dropped into his stomach. It was like being back in the rain all over again, watching Ladybug disappear before his eyes. He was aware his teacher had carried on speaking, saying something about how they had to be brave and something about hope but he wasn't truly listening. Blood rushed to his head, roared in his ears, he began to tremble.

Because the sweet, twin-tailed Class President who made his life at school and his life as Chat Noir so much brighter, _wasn't_ sitting behind him. She wasn't looking down at him with a small smile and rosy cheeks like she was supposed to be. She wasn't absent-mindedly sketching in her book, with the tip of her tongue poking out. She wasn't spluttering indignantly at some asinine comment Chloe had made, her arms waving angrily. She wasn't there, where she should be.

She was gone.

Marinette was missing.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Paris was often called the city of lights but, as she stepped out onto the streets of Manhattan and gazed down the Broadway of ninety years before her time, Marinette knew New York was a strong contender. There were lights everywhere and everything around her was somehow dirty and incredibly shiny at the same time. Black and white photographs did not do justice to the splendour that poured from every building, every shining car, every dazzling billboard. A strong smell of petrol, smoke and glamour filled most of her senses and she was taken by the raw energy of the people on the street as they bustled past.

Now she was here, no longer protected by the confines of the theatre, the realisation of where she was hit her almost as hard as the initial time travel. It was like pulling off a sleeping mask and suddenly having several cameras flashing in your face. It was breath-taking, it was overwhelming, and it wasn't even a city of her time. Marinette wondered how much bigger the city had gotten over the years. She longed to get home so that she might one day find out.

Realising she was gaping like a bemused goldfish, she snapped her mouth shut and hurried after Johnny who further surprised her by walking ahead and opening the taxi door. At first she was confused by the gesture, wondering if he was trying to impress her, before she remembered. Different time. Different sensibilities. Although, she couldn't help but smile as she thanked Johnny and slid into the taxi as elegantly as she could, Ladybug knew Chat would definitely do the same for her. As the taxi sped off into the bright night, Marinette chuckled bitter sweetly at the thought. Chat. Her Chat Noir opening the door to some fancy car, with a bow and a mischievous smile. _"Right this way my Lady"_ he would say and Ladybug would probably roll her eyes and saunter past him, replying with something witty…

But would he do the same for Marinette?

She grinned further. He would. Only instead of _"My Lady"_ it would be _"My Princess"._

Her smile faltered, her heart hurt and she didn't quite know why. Marinette put those thoughts to the back of her head, right now she just needed to hope that Chat was safe and that Mary had at least gotten the Akuma cleansed so no extra harm was being done.

Unexplained emotions could be dealt with later.

* * *

For Adrien, first class seemed to stretch on for a torturous eternity. Every second the clock ticked seemed to be worth twenty years of his life. Twenty years of not knowing where Marinette was, twenty years of not knowing if she was safe, of even what time she was stuck in. Twenty years of knowing he was a superhero and yet never in his life feeling more like a helpless, lonely little kitten.

"Yo man, are you ok?" Nino was whispering to him. He had to pull himself together or people were going to start asking questions. He'd attract attention he didn't need. He needed to lie low today, for Mary's sake.

"Yeah- I just- err. I just, excuse me Mademoiselle, may I be excused to the bathroom please?" Adrien put up his hand and asked the last part of his sentence out loud. With a brief, oddly understanding nod the teacher granted him permission and he raced out of the room and down the longest hallway he'd ever traversed. His footsteps seemed to echo throughout the ages, reverberating around the dull grey lockers, slicing through the stillness of the dim honey-light that reflected off the wood floors. Or perhaps that was how it seemed. His head was swimming. It was difficult to breathe. _Missing. Missing. Missing. Marinette is missing._ The words poured through his mind, pierced his heart, devoured his soul until he felt he was living a waking nightmare.

Finally, he reached the confines of the bathroom, rushing to a stall, he bolted the lock and promptly collapsed to the ground.

Plagg, in a rare moment of comfort, floated out of his pocket and placed himself on the one arm that wasn't currently clutched around Adrien's face. "Breathe kid, breathe."

"What am I supposed to do? She gone. I didn't even know she was in the area; I didn't know she was there. If I had I would have _protected_ her. I let both of them down." He cried, leaning his head back, his skull thudding against the cubicle door. He sighed. "I have to fix this."

"That's what we're doing." Plagg replied incredulously. "It's just like Mary said. We need to stick to the plan. If we do that, it'll be alright. You can get your girlfriend back."

Adrien's eyes widened, horrified, his face turned a ferocious shade of red. Eyebrows raised dramatically, he gave a strangled yelp. "Wha- my- she's- Marinette isn't my girlfriend Plagg! She-she doesn't. I don't- it's not like that. She's my friend."

In the whole time the young teen had known him, he thought he'd seen all of Plagg's 'you're an imbecile' looks. He had been mistaken.

"Ok well, if she means only friendship to you why did watching Alya get attacked by the Akuma upset you, but the mere news Marinette is missing sends you running to the Little Boys Room? And I mean that literally kid, we are literally in the toilet right now."

Adrien stayed silent.

"That's what I thought," Plagg replied triumphantly, the sympathy completely gone for his tone "you humans always make everything so wonderfully complicated. It's a pain in the tail but I'm not gonna help you figure it out. It's much funnier to watch you all suffer and needlessly stretch your problems out far longer than necessary."

"Did any Chat Noir ever tell you that you're _insufferable_?" Adrien replied with a scowl, he looked away, the blush still not faded from his cheekbones.

"All the time. Johnny called me far worse actually. For somebody so mild-mannered, he sure did have a potty mouth if you got him angry. But I guess when you're raised by a Mobster, you should expect that."

The bell rang for next class; Adrien knew that he'd have to keep it together for the rest of the day. He wasn't looking forward to it. Spending time with Marinette had become of his favourite past times. After helping her with her Chinese and finding out she was a gamer, he couldn't help but be drawn to her. Even as Chat Noir he went out of his way to protect her. He'd failed this time and he vowed to himself that he would get her back. He would fix things and never fail in that regard again. But she was only his friend…wasn't she?

 _Of course she is_ he thought feebly _besides Ladybug has my heart._

 _Except_ he argued with himself _you don't have her heart. You probably never will._

"Argh, this is so complicated." He cried, clutching his hair in frustration.

"It is not. You're just being mopey again. Now come on get back to class. The sooner we get there; the sooner we can have lunch. I'm starving. At least you aren't stuck in the Library all day like poor Mary is. She must be bored stiff."

Just then Adrien's phone pinged and he unlocked it to find a text from Mary. She'd typed it in English, and at first Adrien was worried something was wrong because of all the capital letters, before seeing all of the smiley-faced emoji's attached. He quickly translated the text.

' _Ok I cheated a little and decided to look up how technology has advanced. This phone is amazing so I wanted to see what else is out there but HOLY SHIT WE WENT TO THE MOON?! ARE THERE ALIENS IN THE FUTURE?! HURRY UP AND TEXT ME BACK I WANT TO KNOW! :D :D :D Mary'_

"I think she's just fine, Plagg." He replied smiling genuinely for the first time in hours.

* * *

"Here we are, home sweet home." Johnny stated as he unlocked the front door to the apartment but allowing Marinette to pass the threshold first. "Shoes go by the umbrella stand, feel free to take them off if that helps you get comfortable. It doesn't matter to me if you take your shoes off or not. May I take your coat?"

The poor freckle-nosed teen had had about all she could take of a man being so attentive to her. A man who wasn't her desperately flirty Chat anyway. "Umm…no it's ok. I can do it."

After awkwardly fumbling out of her coat whilst simultaneously cradling Tikki in her arms, aware that Johnny was watching her curiously the whole time, ( _oh god I hope I didn't offend him_ ) Marinette glanced around the apartment. Stunning was the word that came to mind. The small entrance area opened up to reveal an apartment dripping in the art deco style. Johnny led her to the enormous living room, where a wall consisted of one giant window overlooking the city. The wooden floorboards were covered in rugs with funny geometric shapes which made Marinette wish she'd taken her shoes off (they looked far too expensive to walk on). Green plants were everywhere which made Marinette smile, because she just knew that Mary was behind that, for she also had a very ladybug-like penchant for gardening. Even they stuck out at odd angles, adhering to the style of the apartment.

But what drew Marinette's eye the most was a black lamp that almost looked like an Oscar statue. All in all, the apartment felt like it could have been in a magazine and yet it had a warmth about it. Perhaps it was the plushy white sofas and armchairs, or the warm green walls, or the slightly messy piles of books that stuck out awkwardly from the mahogany bookcase. Marinette wondered if it was her connection to Mary that made it feel like home, or if it was simply the fact that this was clearly a place where two people had built their lives together and it showed. Either way she felt safe and that was all that really mattered.

"Your home is lovely." She sighed wistfully, taking a seat in one of the armchairs and resting Tikki on her lap. A yearning filled her. She wanted this. She wanted to make a home for herself like this.

"Thank you Miss." Johnny replied with a casual nod, unbuttoning his waistcoat and hanging it on the back of the sofa. "I'm going to fix myself a glass a water. Would you like something?"

"Oh! Yes, please I could really use some water. If that's not too much trouble." Their interactions still seemed too formal to her. Regardless of how temporary their situation might be, she still wanted to get to know him a bit better, they were technically partners after all. But her shy side took over, she wasn't all that great at meeting new people and was fairly certain she gave an awful first impression to anyone she met. Well, she did as Marinette anyway. Everyone _loved_ Ladybug. People cared for Marinette, but only once they got to know her.

She shook her head. Her mind was getting off track. Marinette wanted to get to know Johnny better. He was odd, sometimes all-too serious and stoic yet sometimes warm and charismatic. She supposed that had to do with his acting side.

Johnny came back into the living room with two glasses of water and a plate of cheese, and handed her the glass of water she requested before settling down into his own armchair. He turned on the radio "So I guess now we wait for Tikki to wake up Miss."

Marinette looked down at the ice-cold contents of her glass and chuckled humourlessly "ha, yeeeah I guess so."

There was a clock somewhere in the house. Its ticking echoed, filling the space where words did not. Marinette swallowed. It was now or never.

"Soooo… you're a broadway star? That's got to be pretty exciting." She gestured animatedly, and gasped when her glass nearly slipped from her fingers. She blushed before nervously carrying on "a-and you're married to Ladybug! You guys must lead pretty hectic lives."

Johnny grinned, crossing his legs he leaned back in his chair, he seemed to get more comfortable and Marinette felt a wave of relief wash over her. "Yeah I suppose ya could say that. But Mary always says that life ain't worth livin' unless you're busy and livin' it. And boy does that woman keep me busy! Never a dull moment. I miss her already. Not that I don't enjoy spending time with you though. It's good to know that there are still Ladybugs and Cat Noirs in the future. Makes me feel that things will work out."

Marinette smiled back "yeah. And I think things will work out soon. I'm sure of it. We have double the good luck on our side."

Both of them neglected to mention the double amount of bad luck they now had to work with. Either through fear or denial neither of them decided to bring it up.

" _JOHNNY?! IS THAT YOU?! DO YOU HAVE CHEESE?! I'M STARVING"_ A small but very loud voice rang out through the apartment, making Marinette jump and spill half her glass of water on her seat. She panicked and looked up, but Johnny was looking in the opposite direction. Whilst his attention was diverted she snatched a cushion and quickly covered the wet patch. _it won't stain, it's just water. It won't stain, it's just water!_ When her temporary companion looked back she smiled sheepishly, chuckling in what she'd hoped was a casual manner but actually sounded like a very guilty wheeze. Thankfully Johnny didn't seem to notice, and the incident was quickly forgotten when she realised that a dark black Kwami was now resting on Johnny's shoulder, happily stuffing his face with cheese. It was so cute, it even had little kitty ears! It had to be Chat's kwami. A strange thought passed through her mind that she was technically meeting Chat's Kwami before him. It made her head spin. Time travel was weird.

"Who is that?" She asked before she realised how rude she sounded. Johnny looked at her with eyebrows raised in surprise.

"You don't know Plagg?" He replied curiously. Marinette frowned, why would she know…Plagg was his name?

"Umm no we've never met before. Why?"

"Apologies Miss, I just thought you and your Cat Noir knew each other in real life. That was a little presumptuous of me." He said, his voice lowering. "But I guess seeing as you don't know Plagg, I have to apologise for another reason. He tends to not think before he speaks, so I'm sorry if he says somethin' rude. Tikki is completely the opposite as ya probably know. She's all sweet and cute, this one's all bite."

"You know Johnny, I can hear you talk about me and I understand everything you're saying." Plagg shot back, his mouth full of cheese. Johnny shook his head.

"Name one thing I said that wasn't true." He shot back, a slight cheekiness in his voice which surprised Marinette. She wondered if this was his playful Cat finally showing. She wondered if he _was_ a playful Cat Noir.

Plagg ignored him. Instead, he flew towards Marinette and looked at Tikki on her lap. "He's wrong. I do think before I speak, I just don't care if what I say offends people. So who are you and why do you have Tikki? Are you a new Ladybug? You don't look old enough to be a Ladybug, and you smell strange. You don't smell like you're from here."

As taken aback as she was, Marinette couldn't help but laugh as Johnny looked ashen.

"I am Ladybug, nice to meet you Plagg. Sorry if this seems confusing but I probably smell weird because I'm not from here at all. I'm from the future. There was a fight in my time and Mary and I switched places. So I'm stuck here until Tikki wakes up and we can put this right."

Credit to him, Plagg seemed to roll with it. He just shrugged and replied "As long as I don't have to get used to some other lady who smells strange, that's fine."

With a long-suffering sigh Johnny admonished his Kwami. "Plagg it's unacceptable to comment on a lady's smell."

"I'm just sayin-"

"Well don't 'just say', don't say anything. Also what have I told you about coming out of hiding before I've called you? What if this was someone who didn't know my identity huh? What would we do then?"

"Oh would you relax Mr Goody-Goody? You always worry about everyth-"

Their argument stopped dead in its tracks when they heard Marinette gasp, her eyes were cast downward. Both Johnny and Plagg looked towards her lap, and their eyes followed suit. Marinette's heartbeat quickened and she felt hope explode in her body, radiating throughout her, but she didn't want to dare believe- she didn't want to hope in case she was wrong. But judging from the silence that once again filled the room, the others were seeing what she was. So it had to be true.

Tikki was beginning to stir.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love this chapter, I loved getting to know Johnny and Mary more as I wrote them. They're so precious to me XD I sound like such a dork!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The song I recommend listing to for Marinette and Johnny's part of the chapter is "Sing Sing Sing" by Fletcher Henderson :) Bonus fact- that song actually did come out in 1927!

** Chapter Six **

The library was empty.

The library… was empty.

The. Library. Was. EMPTY.

Adrien stared at the silent rows of well-worn books, the vacant plastic chairs, the abandoned walkways, and felt panic bubbling in his chest like a rat in a trap. Where was Mary?! The lunch bell had rung and he'd already convinced Nathalie he was going to lunch with friends, but now it appeared his new friend had left the premises.

No. She couldn't have gone far. Mary may have been a curious character but she wasn't stupid. It would be fine, everything would be fine. Trying to quell his racing heart (he was unsure how much more stress it could take), Adrien pulled out his phone to text the peppy actress, cursing when he saw he had no signal. The unlucky teen inhaled. He closed his eyes and tried to let common sense override the tension wreaking havoc on his mind and muscles. One breath. Two breaths. Three breaths. He groaned on the third exhale, putting his face in his palm. Why was he cursed with such rotten luck?

" _What's with the sad face kiddo?"_

Spinning around, Adrien felt both a sense of relief and annoyance wash over him when he saw Mary standing behind him. He ignored the smile on her face, and the fact he couldn't understand a word she had said, instead choosing to rush towards her and clutch her shoulders frantically.

"Where were you?! D-don't run off like that ok, please? I thought- I thought something bad had happened…" his voice was cracking and he averted his gaze, knowing he sounded stupid. Mary held her phone up to listen to the translation, before raising her eyebrows at him.

"Would you relax kid? I was just in the bathroom. In case you haven't realised yet, this whole time travel thing really did a number on me. I've been feeling sick all damn…day."

Something didn't seem right. Instinct lead him as he felt, rather than saw Mary begin to tumble to the ground. He caught her just in time. "Woah, easy there. Are you ok?"

Mary's eyes looked slightly glassy, her face was clammy and her breathing was shallow and erratic. She looked up at him and tried to move away. Though she stumbled awkwardly, and Adrien held out his hands to catch her just in case, she managed to stay upright. Mary touched the translation app on her phone and, not recognising the seriousness of the moment, it pinged happily as she spoke "I think I need some food. Can't we have some sort of fancy French food? We're in Paris after all! Although I have no money so you're gonna have ta pay kiddo, but you're rich so that's alright right?" They chuckled as Adrien tentatively walked her out of the school to a café he knew she'd like. The sun was out in full force and all traces of the previous day's rain had disappeared. But Adrien couldn't forget it, he remembered the raindrops beating down on his ears, distracting him, blocking his vision. The rain made him careless, his carelessness hurt two people he cared for...

He was unaware of his long silence until Mary poked his shoulder and he replied somewhat hastily "sometimes being rich does have its perks but anyway, I thought you were some rich and famous Broadway star?" it was hard to muster up any semblance of a conversation when he had to try and ignore the nagging emotions at the back of his head whispering fears about Marinette and Ladybug. But he had to do it.

Rolling her eyes, Mary scoffed. She flicked her hair in a way that reminded him of Chloe but a much more pleasant, funnier version "I'm rich and famous in _1927_. Right now I'm stuck in a strange city with not two pennies to rub together. If old me is still around maybe she might pay you back? In fact, that's what I'm gonna do. You buy me lunch and I'm gonna pay you back. That's how you'll know that everything's worked out alright. That's a _bonafide_ Ladybug promise, guaranteed to be kept!"

As they walked into the café, with the sun kissing the little red wood signs with the peeling paint and shining on the well-worn outdoor furniture (a.k.a- a place his father wouldn't be caught dead in), Adrien felt his spirits lifting ever-so-slightly. He wondered if Mary had some sort of magic about her, or if all Ladybug's had a special secret lucky charm which always made people feel they had hope. That must have been the case, because his own Ladybug had always been able to brighten up his mood, no matter how rotten he felt. Or maybe he was just blessed with being surrounded with girls like that, for Marinette always brought a smile to his face too.

He sat down and translated the menu for Mary, who looked like she wanted to eat all of it and none of it at the same time. His own eyes stared unseeing at his menu, his thoughts wondering back to her. The daughter of a sweet couple, pun intended of course, who ran one of the best bakeries in Paris. What must her parents be going through right now? They probably had no information except for what was on the news, and maybe some lie the police had told them. Adrien squirmed in his seat. He'd not known the Dupain-Cheng's for very long, but he could tell how much they loved their daughter. Their home was as warm and inviting as his was cold and empty. He couldn't let them remain in the dark, but _he_ couldn't say anything that would help. Well…himself as Adrien couldn't anyway.

And what of Marinette? He knew where Ladybug was, he knew she would be safe with Cat Noir. But Marinette? Where had she disappeared to? Ancient China? Nazi-occupied France? Somewhere completely random in time? Marinette missing scared him far more than Ladybug. Despite how brave and hardworking she was, Adrien mourned over the fact that she had no powers. She had no weapons to protect her. She had no Chat Noir to defend her where she was. But she was beautiful, she was smart and capable and always seemed to attract attention, what if she attracted the bad kind of attention?

 _I'll get you back_ He thought determinedly. _I'll get you back safe Princess, or so help me I'll die trying._

Adrien shot up roughly in his seat, knocking his cutlery off the table as he did so. They clattered to the floor and for some strange reason, everything but the clanging sound of the metal on marble vanished as the floor felt like it was disappearing around him. The neglected menu slipped from his trembling grasp.

"Umm…kiddo where are you going, into battle?" He heard Mary say and he heard himself reply that he was fine, but it was like he witnessing the scene outside of himself, as if he were listening to a movie but the television was in a room three doors down. Realisation had struck him senseless, twisting the knife deep at the same time as pouring gold and sunshine and honey straight into his heart. It was like finding Marinette and losing her all over again in a millisecond that stretched across eternity.

And it made things infinitely more complicated.

* * *

"T-Tikki?"

Nobody dared move. Nobody dared breathe. Nobody dared hope that Tikki could finally be opening her eyes. Marinette's heart danced in her chest as she watched her mentor, her friend, her companion squirm in her sleep. Her eyes were squinting, her adorable tiny forehead crinkling as she did so. Marinette gently reached out and stroked Tikki's cheek, thinking about just how much her life had changed because of her. The little pink Kwami had chosen _her_ \- a shy, bumbling, stuttering buffoon- and given her all she'd ever wanted. Freedom. Freedom to be who she'd always wanted to be but never had the courage to in case things went wrong and she ended up looking foolish. She'd given her the power to be a source of inspiration and hope to the citizens of her beloved home, more than she'd ever dreamt of being able to do. But she was also funny and cute and so adorably optimistic. She made Marinette laugh and kept her on the right path when she occasionally slipped up and did something selfish.

She loved Tikki so much she missed her even though she was right in front of her.

"Tikki," She repeated, hating how low and feeble her voice sounded "please wake up."

"Do…do you think she'll…" Johnny's voice was rough like sandpaper; she could tell that he was still as a statue but her eyes never left Tikki's slumbering form.

With a deep breath, Tikki turned over and snuggled into Marinette's lap. The squirming stopped and it was like it never happened to begin with. She was still asleep.

"Ugh come on!" Plagg whined, rolling around in the air so fast he became a blur. Nobody admonished him, he said what everyone was thinking. The air felt heavy and thick, the apartment seemed darker, shadows longer. The statue-lamp, once glamourous, now seemed imposing. The mahogany furniture seemed to mock them. The sound of the traffic far below was a grim reminder of their predicament.

"Hey. Let's dance," Johnny chimed.

Marinette looked at him as though he'd gone mad "huh?"

He stood up and turned to the window. Reaching up to rest an arm on its frame, andstared out at the vast concrete jungle below. He no longer looked like Johnny, with the shadows crossing his face and his tense body language. No. In that moment Marinette knew she was looking at a brooding Cat Noir, overlooking a city without his Ladybug. He looked imposing and tough, like you wouldn't want to meet him in a darkened alley.

"My dad was murdered by the mob when I was about fourteen years old. He was a mobster and tried to run away. I never knew the exact details. All I knew is one day I was happy living a normal teenage life, growing up on the same street as the girl who'd one day be my wife and then _boom,_ next day we'd packed up our things and left for some _hick_ town hundreds of miles away from anything I'd ever known. Hundreds of miles away from Mary. We'd grown up together, fallen in love. They all said we was too young but I knew, I damn well knew that what we'd had was real. She was the one- and I wasn't even allowed to say goodbye. I couldn't write her, couldn't travel back to the city. Nope. It was just me and mom and my good ol' reformed-mobster pop, hiding forever from the men that would one day kill him."

Marinette sat rooted to her seat, stroking Tikki's head absently. She wanted to ask why he was telling her this but chose to stay silent for once.

"I was home schooled, I never had no friends, never dated, couldn't even think about walking down the street without fear of some guys yankin' me into their car to hold me for ransom in exchange for my pop's life. They didn't know I knew, but it's funny what adults talk about when they think their children ain't listenin'. One day I ran to the store to fetch some apples 'cause my mom was making pie. She made the best pies. When I came back home I saw her, my mum, clutching my dad's dead body, a big ol' gunshot wound in his head. At least they'd done a quick job of it I guess. I'd heard of gangsters doin' far worse to men who they feel wronged them. My dad got off lucky. After that Ma raised me as best she could, my Grandma came to help with my studies and that's how I learned French. A couple of years later though, my mum died too. She never quite recovered from that day. My Gran'ma used to say the gangsters left a hole in my mum's heart that day as well as the hole in my dad's head. It just was a longer, slower death.

I decided to come back to the city. It was clear the mobsters wanted nothin' to do with me or they would've killed all of us the day they came for my dad. I got some _shitty_ job workin' on the docks and lived in a rotten damp apartment close to work. One day I saw an advert in the paper that had Mary's name and face in it. It was for a play she was in, though she wasn't as well known then as she is now. We met up again and boy-howdy she was not happy with me I'll tell ya," He smiled then as the lights from the traffic below reflected onto his face, "called me every name and curse word under God's blue sky and I took it all. I understood. I hated that I'd left the way I did. But I weren't never gonna make that mistake again and it took me a long time to prove that to her. She makes my life worth livin'. The woman is brighter than fire. She introduced me, a shy awkward young fella, to a world of music and song. I love the stage 'cause it takes me to a different world. And I love workin' with her 'cause it's like travelling to a new world with her. That's why I hate her not being here. She's gone to a world where I can't follow. It looks like I'm not gettin' her back any time soon so let's do what she'd tell me to do in this situation, and just dance my troubles away."

He turned and marched over to the radio, turning it up louder so that a jazzy tune came on. Trumpets blazed and a scratchy, deep voice told Marinette to _Sing, Sing, Sing._ She bit her lip. It was all so much to take, his heart breaking yet uplifting story, the crushing disappointment of Tikki still not waking…

"I'm not so good at dancing."

"It's alright," he comforted "you can stand on my feet."

She snorted at that "I did that with my dad when I was a kid."

Johnny chuckled gently "well isn't that sorta what you are? You're a new generation of Ladybug. You're the legacy of thousands of Ladybug's before you. Including Mary. So I guess that kind-of makes you not my kid, but Ladybug and Cat's kid. If that makes sense. I gotta look out for you, make sure you get home safe and sound. Isn't that what dads do?"

"I guess it does make sense," Marinette chortled all the while thinking that he'd make a good father. She wondered about his future. How many children he had with Mary. With a warm heart she thought it was probably lots. Though she had never personally met Mary, she felt a connection to her- probably from the way Johnny spoke about her. It was obvious they were soulmates, and they probably had lots of children and lived to a ripe old age, happy and content. It was weird, this tightrope they walked on. One side of the rope was fear and doubt, the other was comradery and comfort in their shared experience.

So they danced. They danced for what seemed like an age. Marinette stood on Johnny's feet and he guided her. It was like he was a completely different person this way, like he saved all his energy for dancing and acting and being Cat Noir. He lit up the room, his eyes dazzled, his hair shone bright, his movements were electric. Marinette knew that this is what made him a star. He had _it_. With his guidance, Marinette stumbled a few times but was always able to keep up with him. They laughed and they sang, the songs weren't that hard to learn even if Marinette got some of the lyrics wrong.

When they grew tired they sat and talked for hours, up later than they should have been, Tikki once again cradled on Marinette's lap and Plagg sleeping soundly on Johnny's shoulder. The sat on the floor, Johnny's top button was undone and Marinette's hat discarded on the armchair behind her, her legs spread out underneath the coffee table. Johnny talked about how he and Mary discovered each other's identities. Marinette talked about how afraid she was to reveal her identity to Chat, despite the fact that he clearly liked her.

"It's just that he flirts with me all the time, but he also flirts with me as Marinette. Meanwhile the boy I actually like has no clue I exist because I'm so stupid around him I can never be my real self," She divulged with frustrated sigh.

"Do you think you could ever fall for your Chat?" Johnny asked innocently. The freckle-nosed girl thought about it for a moment, and pouted.

"I don't know… maybe," she admitted weakly "if I knew that he was serious about me maybe I could. But then what about Adrien? And how could I ever trust that Chat loved me for me and not because of the pedestal he's put me on as Ladybug?" It was something she'd never said out loud to anyone, not even Tikki, and her fearful heart took control of her senses, making her tremble. She half didn't want to hear Johnny's response.

"I don't think you're being very fair to anyone ya know. You're not being fair to Chat, you're not being fair to Adrien and most of all you're not being fair to yourself." He turned to look at her, his head lolling to the side of the plump cushion. He shrugged. "I don't blame ya, I used to be afraid of my own shadow. But you gotta stop being so scared. If you second guess yourself over everything you'll never be happy. You probably heard this a billion times but you just need to be yourself. He's a guy, not a machete. What's the worst he's gonna do? Laugh at ya? Call you names? If he does, then he ain't worth your time anyways. And if it turns out worst case scenario then hey, it's a big world out there Marinette, and you're young. You'll find a nice guy no matter what. Probably doesn't bring much comfort to you now but things have a way of working themselves out. Who knows? Maybe the best case scenario will happen and Chat and Adrien are the same person and they're both madly in love with you, like how it was for Mary and me."

Marinette laughed "yeah right Johnny. I don't think I could get so lucky. Lightning doesn't strike twice."

"If Mary was here, she'd tell you to be more positive," he frowned and Marinette was about to shoot back a retort, but someone interrupted her.

"I always tell her that."

The two superheroes looked at each other, then down at Plagg who was still sleeping. None of them had said that. So that could only mean one thing.

"TIKKI!" Marinette shot up, jerking Johnny and knocking Plagg from his shoulder. The black Kwami fell off of Johnny's shoulder with a low squeal and a curse word but Marinette didn't hear any of it. She wrapped her arms around Tikki, gentle squeezing her.

"Tikki! Oh Tikki it's awful, we're stuck in 1927 and we have to get home! I mean it hasn't been too awful I mean Johnny's been here to help me but oh my god Tikki we need to get home and find out if Chat is ok!"

"Marinette, Marinette shhh, it's ok. We'll fix this together," The adorable Kwami reassured between yawns.

"Hello Tikki, good to see you're awake." Johnny replied stroking her as she floated out of Marinette's grasp.

Marinette almost missed the pained expression on Tikki's face when she looked at Johnny. Almost. She swallowed, suddenly reminded of that image of Johnny and Mary with all of their children and growing old together happily. Something about Tikki's expression frightened her.

"H-hello Johnny. It's…good to see you again. We haven't seen each other in a long time for me," Tikki glanced around the apartment "It looks just like I remember it."

"Well it feels like I haven't seen you in ages!" Johnny grinned, ignoring Plagg tugging at his sleeve for more cheese, "the past you I guess. Gosh this is confusing isn't it? This time travel business. Are you feeling up to this or do you need more rest?"

"She'll be fine; she'll probably just sleep some more. It's ME you should be worried about. I'm YOUR Kwami and I'm hungry!" Plagg whined loudly. Marinette would have giggled as Johnny told Plagg to go shove cheese somewhere where cheese should never go, but she felt like she lost that ability. She was too busy watching Tikki for any other signs, any other worrying expressions. There were none. Perhaps she'd imagined it?

Tikki met her partner's eyes and the black haired girl jumped, snapping out of her reverie "you ready to get going?"

Marinette inhaled deeply and stood up. Johnny stood up with her, guiding her as she was a little wobbly on her feet. She glanced around the apartment, the life that had been built here. She wondered how many breakfast kisses Mary and Johnny had shared, how many dances; she wondered of their laughter and tears, their failures and triumphs, the late nights they spent nursing each other's wounds after intense superhero battles, she thought of it all and vowed to make sure it stayed that way for both of them.

She thought of Chat and Adrien, of what Johnny had said. He was right. It was time to stop being afraid. She was Ladybug, she wasn't afraid of physical scars and it was time to conquer her fear of emotional ones, no matter what that entailed.

It was time to go home.

"Tikki," she nodded "spots on."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

It had been over a day since the incident with Time Twister and Chat Noir was still without his partner. Under the cover of the Parisian night he crawled up apartment blocks, leaping and flipping over rooftops, his breath coming out in short blasts. His belt-tail trailed behind him, flapping in the wind, his ears flattened against his golden hair. It was bitterly cold, as if the absence of Ladybug had made the city forget the coming of Spring. The sky was clear, a few stars shone without a cloud in sight. The moon glowed, large and lonely, bathing the equally alone hero in silver light. Chat noticed none of it.

He vaulted over one last building, racing to the edge and peering over at his destination. Perhaps it was the knowledge that Marinette was missing playing tricks on his mind, but he swore the light in the bakery appeared colder, the building seemed more isolated. It looked completely different to the happy, comforting place he'd gotten to know. It looked, he realised with near overwhelming sadness, like his house.

The window to Marinette's room was lit and a shadow flittered across the floor. Chat's poor maligned heart lifted for the faintest of seconds, before he climbed closer and saw who the shadow belonged to. Marinette's mother was sitting on her daughter's chaise longue, her arms were wrapped tightly around a white cat cushion, half of her face was pressed against it and her eyes were closed. She was crying. Tears fell down wordlessly, silently, but to Chat Noir it seemed like she was screaming for the whole world to hear. He shifted uncomfortably, feeling like he was invading on the poor woman's private moment of grief. But he was here now, he had a purpose to being there and he wasn't about to let them down. He'd already let down so many people.

Less gracefully than ever, he leapt over to Marinette's balcony. The light from within irritated his night-vision and his eyes blinked to adjust back to normal. With no small amount of trepidation, Chat Noir lifted his black-gloved hand and knocked on the glass door.

Sabine's head snapped up at the sound and when her watery eyes met Chat's they widened. The cat cushion fell from her grasp.

"TOM! TOM!" She screeched as she leapt up. Chat froze as she hurried over to the door, pulling it open so fast it almost came off its hinges, Marinette's mother grabbed him around the wrist and pulled him equally roughly into the house. Chat struggled not to crash to the ground.

"Sabine?! What's going on? Is it Marinette? Is she home?!" Marinette's father burst through the floor into his daughter's attic room, glancing around with wild hopeful eyes. They came to rest on Chat Noir and it was in that moment that Adrien cursed himself. He'd thought about coming here to comfort them and tell them what was happening all day. After sneaking Mary back home and having to sit through an excruciatingly dull piano lesson, where he kept getting the notes wrong, he'd made the decision. Only now it was occurring to him that he didn't have a plan as to what he should say.

The silence that rang throughout the room was like a bad headache, pounding and throbbing and completely unavoidable.

Finally, Tom spoke. Standing by his wife's side and putting his arm around her comfortingly, he turned to Chat as if the young teen had all of the answers to the universe locked inside of him. Sabine was looking at him much the same "are you here because of…what's happened to our daughter? Do you- do you know where she is?"

Chat tried not to focus on how completely broken Tom's voice sounded, tried to focus on finding the right words, but he couldn't. He swallowed the lump stuck in his throat and glanced around the room helplessly "I- I…" why was this so hard?

"You're shaking dear, come and sit down." Sabine motioned to the chaise longue. With a gentle hand she guided him to rest on it. Here Chat could see Marinette's room more clearly. His mind flicked back to the too few times he'd spent there. Playing video games at her desk- their hands touching as they reached for the same controllers, making a study fort with pillows and blankets- both of them laughing at Alya and Nino bickering over Marinette's burger pillow, the smell of the cookies from the bakery below. Chat wondered about the last time Marinette had been in this room, having no idea what was going to happen to her. His hands clenched.

"Ladybug is missing," He choked and immediately regretted it. What? What was he doing? He was supposed to be comforting _them_ not treating this like a therapy session!

"That's what all the news networks are saying. Except they believe that both of you are gone and the police, when they talked to us, they said you hadn't come to them like you usually do. Have you been on your own this whole time?" Sabine wrapped her arm around him. It should have been awkward, a middle aged baker comforting a superhero, but in that moment he didn't feel like Chat Noir. He'd never felt less like Chat Noir in fact.

"Not exactly. There was an akuma attack, it sent your daughter and her friend back in time. I was about to get hit but Ladybug pushed me out of the way instead. She took the hit for me, so now she's lost in time too. Why did she do that?" He hadn't meant to say that last part out loud but it was true. Why had she done it? He wasn't angry with her, lord knows he'd done the same for her before and would do it again a million times over, but it was a question for which he had no answer.

Sabine's grip tightened a little and Chat found himself warmed by the comfort she was giving him at the same time as he felt guilty from it.

Tom leant against the wall, a crumbling pillar of strength "so you're saying our daughter is sometime in the past, and you have no means to get her back because Ladybug is gone too?"

Chat gave a start at the stricken looks on their faces. He waved his hands frantically "N-no that's not what I'm saying. There's another Ladybug helping me, she's from… somewhere else but she's a bit weak at the moment. We have a plan, once her strength comes back, we're going to fix this," He stood up, his voice and convictions gaining strength as he spoke half-lies and true oaths "that's why I came here today, I- well I know you helped Ladybug and I once before during an akuma attack and, when I found out your daughter was missing I knew I had to tell you what I knew. I wanted to come here and promise you, promise you that I'll get your daughter back," He placed his hand on his heart "I swear on my life, I will do whatever it takes, use whatever means and powers I have to make this right."

Sabine got up and made her way to her husband, they looked at each other, saying silent words which Chat couldn't understand. The secret language of a husband and wife. Cradling each other's hands, they turned to him. His promise filled the air around them. Chat swallowed once more.

"We are forever in your debt Chat Noir; you are doing more for us than the city we've lived in for so many years-"

"-and paid thousands of Euro worth of tax to," Tom grumbled.

"Tom!"

"I'm just saying," Marinette's father threw his hands upwards and Chat only just realised how big they were, about the size of his head, he could probably crush skulls with them. Chat shuddered, thanking whatever small semblance of luck he had that Tom was a more of a kind hearted soul. Still he'd have to be on his best behaviour around him in the future. Just in case. "We spend our whole lives paying taxes and working hard and when our entire world, our baby, goes missing we get one meeting with the police and that's it. They might as well have sent us a text saying 'sorry your daughter's missing lol'- if lol is still a thing. I can't keep up with trends," his arms waved frantically and Chat felt a weird sort of smile grow on his face at how very much Marinette seemed to take after her father "But here we have this young lad, willing to give his life for our child's safety, the mind just- it just boggles. Son-"

He motioned to Chat and the aforementioned _young lad_ stood at attention "you go get our baby girl back, you fix this mess, and you let us know if you need any help. Our home is yours, you need a ride to the final battle you can take my car, you need food to help you post fight- I'll cook you anything you need, you need medicine or some quick first aid, Sabine and I fix you up."

Chat looked between them, Sabine and Tom, and understood completely just how they'd managed to raise such a wonderful girl. His smile widened and he gave a polite bow.

"Then," he replied, fighting hard to keep a serious voice and leave the puns alone for a change, "it seems we've formed a perfect alliance."

* * *

Chat swung back into his room, de-transforming the moment the light from within touched him. He flopped onto the sofa, exhaling loudly.

Mary was sitting on his bed, her knees up, the first book in the Harry Potter series rested against her legs. He glanced over at her and one of his eyebrows raised quizzically. After school had let out, they'd gone shopping for a few more clothes for her in case Tikki didn't wake up for another few days. He didn't mind, and wouldn't have cared about spending the money even if she hadn't vowed to pay him back. Which she had, several times, in between her squeals of excitement that she was "shopping in PARIS!" He'd found it difficult to keep up with her in the short thirty minutes they were in the department store, losing her a few times, so he hadn't seen all of the things she bought. The pyjamas she wore were white and baggy but also, rather amusingly, were adorned with little black cat faces.

Without moving from his resting spot, he reached out and lazily grabbed for his phone, activating the well-used translation app "loving the pyjamas Mary."

She jumped, the book flying from her grasp "jeez don't scare me like that kid! I didn't even know you'd come back."

Adrien sat up, pulling an offended face "excuse me? You're saying the great Chat Noir isn't noticeable even in his own home?"

"Ha ha cat-boy, very funny," she rolled her eyes and slid off the bed to retrieve the book "but no seriously, this Harry Potter thing is of the bee's the knees. I need to live until I'm over a hundred just to find out how these books end. Did you know there's _seven_ of them?"

Adrien frowned "of the bee's the knees?"

Mary tilted her head like a confused puppy before staring at her phone accusingly "I guess it didn't translate that properly. BEES. KNEES," she yelled pointedly into the phone "it's an expression. It means somethings great, just like my pyjamas. _Geddit_? The cat's pyjamas? Once I saw them I couldn't resist."

Once again they flip-flopped and it was Adrien's turn to feel confused "cat's pyjamas?"

"Jeez kid this whole language thing is starting to annoy me. Yeah. Cat's pyjamas. Another expression- it means something is the best thing ever, real top notch. That's why I bought these pyjamas. 'Cause they're top notch, the cats pyjamas. I can't believe I had to explain that. Johnny would have got it. Man I miss my husband somethin' fierce-"

Adrien laid back down, his eyes staring at the ceiling in wonder, knowing he now had to get Ladybug a pair for Christmas, even though it was eight months away, the opportunity was there and he wasn't going to miss it "that is the greatest pun ever."

He heard, rather than saw, Mary rush to his bathroom. The door slammed shut behind her, followed by the unmistakable noise of her being quite violently sick. His own stomach dropped, his jaw tightened.

"Plagg," he called out to his Kwami, who'd be idly resting on the pillow beside him. He stood up and motioned towards the bathroom but thought better of it in the end. Lingering helplessly in the middle of his room, he whispered his fears "this isn't normal. I'm getting worried. She- she should be ok by now right? The effects of the time travel should have worn off."

"She'll be fine kid, stop worrying over everyone for five minutes of your life," Adrien looked over at his partner. The black kwami was staring at the bathroom, but couldn't cover the faraway expression in his eyes fast enough, nor the way his petite ears had flattened against his head. Instinct guided Adrien to his conclusions.

"There's something you're not telling me."

"Leave it Adrien," and there it was. The confirmation. Plagg _never_ called him by his first name.

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

"What are you doing?" Plagg cried as Adrien marched past him towards his computer.

"If you're not going to give me answers, the internet will," Adrien explained with a scowl "maybe there's something written about Mary being sick, an old newspaper article or something. Maybe she just has a cold, maybe nothing will show up and then I'll know that it's just the time travel messing her up. Either way I have to know. I have to help her." _I can't lose someone else._

As he sat down at his desk, Plagg surprised him by flying onto the mouse.

"Kid I'm telling you, leave well enough alone. It won't help. It won't do any good."

"Plagg, get off the mouse."

"No"

"Plagg, you darn cat, let go of the mouse and let me use the computer."

"Just trust me kiddo! And never tell a cat to step away from a mouse, that's how you lose fingers. WOAH HEY- STOP IT!" Plagg actually hissed at him as Adrien picked up the computer mouse and began to shake it "fine, you know what, don't say I didn't warn you kid. Just know whatever you learn, you can't help on this one." He glanced back at the bathroom and the sadness in the small Kwami's eyes, a darkened expression Adrien had never even seen before, caused the young blonde to shake as he took control of the computer, searching for articles about ' _Mary Jones, stage star, New York, 1927.'_

He quickly found an old newspaper archive, and typed his emergency credit card information in order to pay for access. The site immediately rewarded him with an article dated April 15th 1927, which he copy-pasted into a translation program.

As soon as he saw the headline, he knew Plagg had been right.

' _ **BELOVED BROADWAY STAR DEAD'**_

' _ **Last night New York was struck two cruel blows. On the night of one of the deadliest crimes of the century, where our hero Ladybug was cruelly slain by low-life mobsters out to take the Woolworth Building hostage, so too did New York's favourite broad way singer Mary Jones, die from complications due to an unknown pregnancy.'**_

' _ **according to our sources, Mary was rushed to hospital in the late hours of the morning after she complained of sharp abdominal pains. By the time doctors realised it was due to complications of a pregnancy it was too late. She is survived by her widower and fellow co-star, John Jones. This would have been the couple's first child-'**_

Adrien couldn't read anymore. He threw the mouse away from him, pushed himself far away from the computer screen. Blood roared in his ears.

Mary was pregnant.

Mary was pregnant.

She was pregnant…and she was going to die.

"That's not how it happened."

He was aware of Plagg floating in his peripheral vision, but didn't see him. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think.

"It was supposed to be a normal routine mission. The stupid son of a crime boss getting too big for his boots, he tried to take the Woolworth Building- the biggest building in the world at that time- hostage. Idiot. Ladybug and Cat Noir arrived at the scene and everything was going smooth, but then Jack Genovese- the crime boss's son- turned himself into an akuma. Akuma's were rarer and more powerful back then. He turned his own arms into guns and aimed them for Johnny. We didn't notice. We didn't see, and the next thing we knew is Ladybug had thrown herself in front of him. Nobody reacted the way they should. We were all stupid and paid the ultimate price for it. None of us knew she was pregnant until after…" Plagg turned away, his voice sounded so small. He sounded nothing like the Kwami Adrien had come to know "I don't like talking about this. See this is why I told you to leave it alone kid. This? This can't be helped. You can't save her."

Adrien leaned back in his chair, his eyes wide and unblinking. If he let Mary go, if he let her fix everything, Marinette, Ladybug, Alya, and everyone else affected by the Akuma would be back safe. He would have fulfilled the promise he made to Marinette's parents…

But they'd be signing two death warrants in exchange. Those of Mary's and her unborn child's.

* * *

It wasn't _working_.

Marinette grit her teeth as she threw her hand up in the air once more.

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!" She roared. Nothing happened. She stomped her foot. Her red black-spotted suit was a mockery. She couldn't do anything except use her yo-yo.

"Hey Miss, Marinette, calm down a little- stop trying," Johnny soothed, patting her on the head. She marched away from his grasp, growling.

"Why isn't it working?! Why can't we go back Tikki? UGH!"

"Would ya stop for one second? I'm sure Tikki's still just a little out of it is all. It'll work eventually, you just need to relax for a minute or so. You can't fix things if you're angry."

"I'm not- I'm not angry." Ladybug argued feebly as she threw herself onto the sofa. "I just can't help but think what if there's an Akuma attack here? What if there's Akuma attack in Paris? We need to swap back, Mary and I, so we can fight properly, and not be so fish-out-of-water-y,"

"I hear ya- sorta, but listen I can handle any akuma attacks that come our way. They don't happen very often here anyways. We mainly just deal with petty crime and mobster fights," Johnny came to rest, crouching down beside her in a very Cat Noir-like way "you don't have to worry about that. I promised to get ya home safe and that's what I'll do."

Just then the radio gave off a loud static buzz that would have made Marinette squeal and fall, but Ladybug just gave a start at it. She looked at Johnny, whose face suddenly became pale and stricken, and her own face grew grim as a message was read out over the radio.

" _This is M.W sending out a private distress signal to LB and CN, we have a hostage situation over at the Woolworth Building. Repeat. Hostage situation at the Woolworth building. Suspects believed to be working with J. Genovese."_

She managed to catch the gist of what was going on and where, but didn't fully understand the implications of it until Johnny stood up and ordered Plagg to transform him. His Cat Noir looked different, a black shirt rolled up at the sleeves adorned with a matching vest and tie. The trousers were slack, far less clingy than Chat's, but everything else remained the same. Ladybug didn't know how to feel, staring at the dark slicked back hair, with the matching ears, he seemed to blend into the shadows more. The green eyes of Cat Noir stood out even more startlingly against so much black, they were almost retroreflective.

"I have to go, that punk Jack Genovese is up to no good again. Stay here," his voice had changed, dropping lower and slightly gravellier, but she could still hear Johnny underneath.

"Stay here? But they said something about hostages!" Ladybug argued rushing up to him "I can help Cat."

"No, you need to be safe, you need to wait for Tikki to get stronger. I won't have you getting hurt," he admonished and before she could answer back, he'd leapt from the window and disappeared into the night.

Ladybug felt at a loss. On the one hand, she was angry. After all, she wasn't a child; she'd saved her city a hundred times.

Still, a part of her couldn't help but think he was right. She hadn't gotten full use of her powers back. She could be a liability.

But the man on the radio had sounded so serious, and Johnny's face was so solemn. It wasn't going to be an easy fight and it was all her fault that his own Ladybug wasn't there to fight alongside him. She stood alone in Johnny and Mary's apartment, feeling completely at a loss. It was her fault that she was here in the first place. She couldn't let him fight on his own, not when she'd already left Chat to fend for himself back in 2016. She played with her gloved hands, biting her lip. Tikki's sad expression filled her mind once more, she remembered her own vow to make things right.

"I'm sorry Johnny, I can't leave you on your own," she whispered and grabbed her yo-yo, leaping out of the safety of the apartment and headfirst into the New York night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot twiiiiiist! :D....eeerm....ehehehe sorry?  
> ...feel free to yell at me here or on tumblr (same username) XD


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

All cities, in a way, are similar. All have buildings cluttered together, all have that same smell of pollution, all have noise and light and endless waves of people. For Ladybug this was no comfort in a foreign city both in terms of time and country. The similarities ended at the superficial level. Paris was etched into her mind like a catchy song, but New York was a different concrete jungle. The unfamiliarity made her slow here and that frustrated her. Even if she had her phone with her, which she didn't, it would be useless with the absence of GPS satellites that had yet to be invented. Calculating every jump, every swing, every turn, added to the increasing time it was taking to find Cat Noir and help him. Her mind flooded with images of Johnny surrounded by mobsters with their shining guns, all pointed to him; the guns went off-

The time-travelling teen swung onto the rooftop of a decrepit apartment block. Hiding in the shadows she released her transformation. Tikki rushed up to her face, her eyes widened in panic "Marinette what are you doing?!"

"Tikki I need you to tell me where the Woolworth building is, we have to get there as soon as possible to help Johnny," She hurried through her explanation, looking around as if she expected the Woolworth building to appear before her eyes as soon as she said it. The view remained as alien as ever.

"I can't," was the response she received. Marinette's eyes snapped back to her Kwami, but Tikki was staring into the distance, refusing to meet her eyes.

"Wha- what do you mean you can't?!" She spluttered, scrunching her shoulders, shaking her head in disbelief. Tikki always guided but never denied her of anything; so why now, at such a critical time, was she refusing to co-operate? "Tikki, Johnny is out there. He's out there all on his own without Mary and it's all my fault! What if he gets hurt? What if he… _dies,"_ She whispered and looked out at the city skyline. A million lights blinked back at her, a million lives, a million places where Johnny could be hurting this very instant, "what if he dies and it's all my fault because I was stupid enough to get myself sent back in time? Tikki please you have to help!"

"And what if you get hurt instead? I'm still weak, I can't transform you for too long. I can't even help you get back home right now. I know you're Ladybug and you're strong and smart, but this is different. Marinette I don't want anything to happen to you," Tikki's tone was desperate and so very sad as the Kwami placed her tiny pink hands on her partner's arm. Marinette's mind flicked back to the expression on her face when she'd first woken up and seen Johnny. Her stomach clenched.

"Something bad is supposed to happen isn't it? To Johnny and Mary? That's why you don't want me to go," She breathed, shallow and uneven, this was wasting time but nevertheless she had to know "Tikki-"

"Marinette please don't ask me any more," the Kwami floated away from her and the young teens eyes widened.

"So something IS supposed to happen isn't it? Something bad is supposed to happen _tonight_ , but Mary is in the future- so- so that means the past is going to change anyway," She reached up to Tikki, her heart pounding as she turned the little pink Kwami to face her "Tikki you always tell me to try my best and never give up hope, well what if this was supposed to happen? What if I was supposed to come back in time and help fix it so the bad thing never happens?" she wanted to believe, oh how she wanted to believe her words, but they meant nothing unless Tikki agreed and she was being so unnervingly silent.

After what seemed like a thousand years, Tikki glanced up to her and smiled "I don't know what the consequences of this will be, but you're right. We've already changed time, so it wouldn't hurt to try our best to change it for the better, as long as we work together."

Marinette beamed, hugging her pink partner tightly "we can do it Tikki! We can save the past and then head straight back to the future! You just have to show me the way,"

"I always do and I always will," Tikki nodded and then flew out of their embrace, motioning for Marinette to follow her "the Woolworth building is just over there…"

* * *

' _ **BELOVED BROADWAY STAR DEAD' 'BELOVED BROADWAY STAR DEAD'**_

' _ **BELOVED BROADWAY STAR DEAD' 'BELOVED BROADWAY STAR DEAD'**_

The headline kept staring at him at him from the computer screen, even though Adrien had moved as far away from the wretched thing as possible. He didn't want to go near it, he didn't want to touch it, he didn't want anything to do with it.

"You shouldn't have looked kid," Plagg flew to where Adrien was pacing frantically "I told you it wasn't going to help,"

"Plagg what am I going to do?" Adrien quaked, running his clenched fingers through his hair "I can't let Mary go back, she'll die! Her and her baby-"

"It's not your decision to make, whether you like it or not," Plagg replied firmly "Mary doesn't belong in this time, same as Mari- same as your Ladybug doesn't belong in the past. Who knows what kind of damage this will do?"

"Ladybug…" Adrien's legs buckled and he fell back onto the sofa "oh god what if she goes to that fight instead?! Wait-" he glanced up at Plagg "if she's back in the past you have to remember her right? Our Ladybug. Especially if Johnny is looking after her, you must know how she is."

Plagg frowned "Kid," His tone was a warning.

"Plagg, don't shut me out on this one," He pleaded, leaning closer to his Kwami, he was desperate for any semblance of hope, however small.

"I don't know! I really don't, it's all fuzzy in my brain. I remember all of the old stuff but there's new stuff too. A girl with freckles, a name, Johnny telling her to stay put- that's it, I have no idea how this plays out, so quit trying to solve everything on your own, we can only work with what we've got right now," He sighed, sounding so frustrated that Adrien felt a pang of guilt. He leaned back and stared at the ceiling, it was blank and unforthcoming.

"Sorry Plagg, I just don't know what to do," He whispered, his voice cracking.

"Well, how 'bout you let me in on whatever's buggin' ya?" Mary replied and Adrien shot up out of his seat. Their eyes met and Adrien tensed. Mary frowned as she glanced at him, then to the computer screen, and then back to him. A sad knowing expression filled her eyes and Adrien felt the weight of the world drop onto him.

"You found somethin' out didn't ya?"

"Mary, I-" Adrien began, but she put her hand up and shook her head.

"It's alright kiddo, I don't blame ya for bein' curious. Honestly it took everythin' I had today to not find out what happened to me and Johnny, but I can tell from your look it ain't nothin' good," She walked to his window and stared out of it, Adrien watched her the whole time, his eyes flicked down to her midsection. There was a baby in there, a precious little baby, a Catbug. Adrien felt like crying at the stupid nickname he gave to a baby that might not ever see the light of day, he wrapped his arms around himself "Ever since I started gettin' famous and found Johnny again, I've had this picture in my head of how things would work out. We'd retire to the South and have this big ol' white house with a huge porch. I'd be all old and wrinkly but I'd still have great hair, Johnny would be rounder around the middle but he'd still have those goddamn perfect baby blues, and we'd sit on that porch and watch as our Grandbabies played 'til sundown. But when I looked at your face, when I saw how ya looked at me, that picture turned dark," she turned back to him, the phone was shaking in her grasp.

"You can't go back," Adrien stammered and he hurried towards her "I don't know how we can fix this, but there has to be a way. I know there is! We can save everyone somehow, you can still have that picture Mary," he pleaded, despairing at the way she seemed so resigned to her fate but deep down he knew there was nothing he could do. He hated feeling so utterly, utterly useless. Time was something he couldn't fix with a quick Cataclysm attack, or a smash from his baton or quick witted pun.

Mary's lips tightened, she stood up straighter "look I know you're worried about me kiddo but you know what? I'll be alright, maybe the knowledge something bad's gonna happen'll make me think twice before charging into stuff like I usually do. Maybe things'll be ok this time around. Time is one of those weird things that can change after all. Besides you need your girl back,"

"But-"

"No Adrien," She commanded "I know you wanna help but I'm not even meant to be here, I have to go back no matter what. But I'm starting to think there was a reason I came here, and that reason was a warning of sorts. I know something bad _might_ happen and that'll keep me on edge, make me think through things more. You gave me that gift so don't think this was all for nothin'. We're gonna stick to the plan, Tikki will wake up and I'll go home just like we've always said. Understood?"

Without even thinking, Adrien threw his arms around her, his head rested on his shoulder as he shook. Visions filled his mind of all the people he'd lost, Marinette, Ladybug, Alya, his mother… he was about to be complicit in the death of a mother. The thought destroyed him.

"Hey, hey, it's ok, shush," Mary soothed, wrapping her arms around him and stroking his head where his cat ears would be. She sounded so damn _motherly_ that it made Adrien feel billion times worse. She had to stay alive, she had to, "you silly cat-boy, it won't do ya any good to worry like this. You'll make yourself sicker than me and that's sayin' something, I think I've thrown up more times in 2016 than I have in all my time in the twenties put together. See? I have to go back, I'm allergic to this time. You can't convince me anyways, I'm too stubborn, nobody can win in an argument against me,"

Adrien didn't say anything, just held onto her tighter, but not too tightly. He didn't want to hurt the baby. He was tempted to tell her, to give her some semblance of happiness before she went back and-

A yawn filled the air and Mary's hand stilled.

"Tikki! You're awake!" He heard Plagg call and Mary slipped out of Adrien's reach, her phone clattered to the floor as she rushed away from him to the other side of the room. Adrien stooped to pick up the discarded phone, watching Mary as she tried to fight to keep her voice down. She'd picked up her pink Kwami and was spinning around with her cuddled in her arms, babbling in an ecstatic sing-song voice. He smiled at the happy reunion, even as he felt his heart blacken with sadness. The invisible clock hanging about Mary's head ticked ever closer to her final hour and it seemed like there was nothing Adrien could do to stop it.

* * *

Ladybug was filled with an unnerving sense of déjà vu as she swung onto the rooftop where Cat Noir sat, overlooking the huge Woolworth building. It was frightening but she was determined to get things right, nothing bad was going to happen that night. She silently promised herself to do everything she could to make sure Johnny and Mary got the happy ending they deserved.

Her own happy ending? Well that was dependent on her getting home.

" _What are you doing?"_ Cat groaned at her as she landed comfortably next to him.

" _I'm helping,"_ She retorted _"wait, why are we speaking in English?"_

" _Nobody knows Cat Noir can speak French, but everyone knows my secret identity can, and is in fact part French. Anything that could link me to my secret identity needs to remain hidden, but anyways Miss that isn't the point,"_ He crossed his arms, frowning and Marinette felt like she was being scolded by her father. She pouted _"I thought we'd agreed you'd stay behind."_

" _You said it, I didn't agree. Cat you shouldn't go in there alone. I can help. Cat Noir and New-York Ladybug are a team, Chat Noir and I are a team, so why can't WE be a team? Even if it's temporary. All Cats need their Ladybugs, just the same as all Ladybugs need Cat Noir, it's a partnership that's gone on for thousands of years. I'm stuck here until Tikki gets stronger so I might as well help you out right? Think about if your Ladybug was here instead of you, would you want Chat to wait behind and let her go into the fight by herself?"_ She knew she had him there, he knew it too judging by his ruffled reaction. He spun away from her, his back straight, his ears flat against his head.

Marinette worried she'd pressed him too much, before he motioned for her to come stand closer to him. Her spirits lifted.

" _It looks like there was some sort of rich shin-dig at the Woolworth Building,"_ He explained looking down at the street below. Ladybug peered over, old police cars were swarmed outside, the press had already arrived it seemed. The street had been mostly cleared of traffic, but even from this height it seemed like pandemonium _, "it's only recently been opened so every big name in town is clamouring for a slice of it and the publicity it brings. Including Jack Genovese. He's the son of a recently dead crime boss and he's trying to make a name for himself, using his father's old connections. Nobody's really paid him much mind so I guess this is his last desperate attempt at glory. He seems to have orchestrated this whole thing, but so far there's been no sign of him,"_ He wrinkled his nose in disgust _"Coward couldn't even be bothered to show up, hogs all the glory and lets thugs do all the bloody work for him."_

" _He's taken the party guests hostage and let me guess he's holding them for- ugh- what's that word again in English? When they want money for people-"_

" _Ransom,"_ Cat nodded _"yeah, he wants money, I overheard the Flat Foots saying, sounds like a stupid amount too or they probably would have given it to him by now. That's where we come in. The party is on the fiftieth floor, we'll probably have to bust through a couple of thugs on the way up, the real trouble will be making sure we get everybody out with nobody gettin' hurt,"_

" _I think I'll be able to use my Lucky Charm to make sure they're safe, though I can't be too sure until we get there," Ladybug nodded, her heart pounding._

" _Then I'll take care of the rest,"_ Cat acknowledged with a flick of his tail, _"you ready Miss?"_

Ladybug stood up straighter, her hands clenched into fists, her head tilted upwards. She met Cat's eyes fiercely, hoping that's all he needed to know that she was ready for whatever the fight would bring.

They swung into the building to tremendous applause from the onlookers, Marinette didn't stop to overhear if anyone had noticed she was different to the Ladybug they knew. She was too concentrated on the mission at hand.

The first thing she noticed was how stunning the narrow foyer was. Everything was either white marble or gold. Wealth poured from every edge of the ornate walls, the ceiling was adorned with gold-stained glass and chandeliers. The staircase was bold and took up almost the entire room, a red carpet had been rolled out to greet the formerly unsuspecting guests.

The second thing she noticed was the thugs, in their white shirts and slacks with suspenders. Though there weren't many, they were _huge._ Although she was relieved to see an absence of guns, it was only a slight consolation.

Cat charged forward first, his baton raised, he smashed it against one of the thug's skulls. With a sickening crunch, the thug crumpled to the floor, out for the count. At any other moment, Ladybug might have winced at such a brunt show of force. But this was a different fight, she reminded herself, and these were real people that were out to kill them.

She glared as one of the thugs rushed at her. Adrenaline pumped through her as she leapt and dodged his attack, spinning around she flicked out her yo-yo and wrapped it around his legs. He fell to the ground and she swung with all of her might, twirling around until he was airborne. The thug cried out as she released her yo-yo's hold on him and he went flying through the air, taking out another of his buddies as he went. In the meantime, Cat had managed to take out the remaining men and they lay in a pile of broken, bruised bodies. He slung his baton over his shoulder triumphantly. Ladybug grinned. They'd won the first round easily.

As they ran up the steps to the elevator beyond, she tried to fight the growing sense of jubilation fluttering in her chest, after all they still had the finale to get through. Still she couldn't help but feel that things were going well.

" _That was great!"_ She cried putting her fist up to Cat as the elevator door shut behind them and they began to zoom up to the fiftieth floor. Cat looked at her fist, confused, before closing his hand around it and giving her an odd sort of handshake. She lowered her fist awkwardly, missing her Chat.

" _It's not over yet,"_ Cat replied _"Maybe you should do Lucky Charm now? That way we're prepared."_

" _Oh yeah, right,"_ Ladybug nodded and threw her yo-yo up into the air "LUCKY CHARM!"

A giant net appeared in the air above them and Ladybug reached up to catch it. She squinted her eyes in confusion, turning it over in her fingers. She half expected Cat to make a joke about going fishing but then remembered it was a very different Cat that was her partner tonight _"what am I supposed to do with-"_ She began but then stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes lit up in understanding. _"Cat, stop the elevator on level 49."_

Cat tilted his head to one side, looking at her confused. He complied nonetheless, and hit the button for level forty-nine, open the door for her. Ladybug rushed out, tying the net to any sturdy bit of architecture she could find in each corner. Cat held the elevator door for her. As he watched her plan unfolding, he made an impressed noise of understanding.

" _You're a crafty one Miss,"_ He grinned at her and she noticed his teeth were a little more pointed, which was odd considering her Chat didn't have that feature, mind you Johnny's Cat Noir didn't have the golden bell around his neck. It was a curious little discrepancy, one which she only thought about for the briefest of moments before hurrying back into the elevator with a smug smile of her own.

" _So I've been told, Cat"_ She nodded back at him, the doors slid shut behind her as they began their short journey to the next floor, _"Let's do this,"_

" _Ladies first,"_ he motioned as the door pinged open.

The hostages were huddled in the middle of the room. The ceiling was low and the room was brightly lit, much in the same style as the foyer. A string quartet had been playing in the corner of the room but now their music stands were left forcibly abandoned. The guests clung together. Some were crying, others were glaring at the men who were pointing guns straight at them, daring them to make any sort of movement.

It wasn't the hostages the men should have been worried about.

Ladybug swung out first, twirling her yo-yo as quickly as she could, red light shot out of it as the men aimed and began shooting, the bullets hit the light of the yo-yo and instantly dissolved into nothing. Ladybug smirked. Cat leapt out behind her and, following her movements, waved his hand up in the air.

" _CATACLYSM"_ He boomed, the air around his claw turned black and he sliced through the floor surrounding the hostages, with Ladybug covering him from the barrage of bullets the whole time. Part of floor disappeared underneath them and, with many a shriek and cry, the guests fell through and were safely caught by the net waiting for them below.

Cat Noir and Ladybug then turned their attention onto the thugs that remained. Many of them had ran out of bullets, and were struck dumb by what they'd just witnessed. From then on it was easy, with a punch of a fist, a spin of a yo-yo and a whack from a baton, the superhero duo ended the fight once and for all.

Ladybug stood proudly, her hands placed on her hips. Her heart danced with elation. She'd done it! She'd really done it! Whatever horrible thing was supposed to happen that night hadn't happened and now she could go back to 2016 knowing she'd helped make sure everyone got the happiness they deserved, that everyone was safe. She felt like shrieking with joy.

Her earrings beeped and she grasped at her ears, looking down at the slightly confused bundle of hostages below _"Cat- I'm about to change back,"_

Cat looked at her, back down at the hostages himself, and then upwards, he seemed to be formulating a plan.

" _Ok come with me,"_ He gestured for her to follow him and he took her up to the top level of the Woolworth building. The colour scheme there was different, it was intimate, the marble was black and the lighting was low. A fire roared on its own. Cat pointed to the sofa and Ladybug sat down as she transformed back into Marinette.

" _Ok you stay here, I'm going to go and help the hostages, I'll come back for you soon,"_ He grinned, Johnny showing through a bit more now that the fight had been won, he seemed to be relaxing and that calmed Marinette down. She sunk into the black, plush sofa, sighing in content _"I have to say Miss, you really impressed me. You're a pretty swell Ladybug,"_

She chuckled at that _"it's no big deal, I do that kind of stuff almost every day back in 2016. 1927 has nothing on the craziness of modern day Paris!"_

" _I'll believe that when I see it Miss,"_ Johnny retorted with a slight cheeky edge to his voice _._ His ring began to beep and he sighed _"Listen, I'm on borrowed time as Cat, I've only got a little while before I change back so I've really gotta help them hostages. Be safe, I'll be back for ya soon,"_ and with that he left the room, the elevator pinging shut behind him as he went.

Marinette breathed, sinking even further into the sofa. Tikki was sleeping beside her, the poor Kwami must have used all of her strength to give her such amazing luck during the fight. It didn't matter that she was asleep, she'd be awake soon with her power fully restored. Marinette beamed, stroking Tikki as the little Kwami shuffled closer to her for warmth. They were going to go home, Mary was coming back, they were all going to be safe, everything was going to be alright-

" _So-"_ A menacing voice cut through Marinette's silent joy and she looked up to see who had spoken. A man stepped out from the shadows, tall and dark and so very cold looking. The minute she saw him Marinette's triumph died in her chest as she realised, they had been wrong. They had been so very, very wrong. _"2016 huh?"_

Jack Genovese _had_ shown up to this fight, and he had heard everything they'd just said.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

With every step Jack Genovese took into the light, Marinette felt nausea bubbling up in her stomach, the hairs on her arms standing up. Trying to keep her out of sight and safe, she pulled Tikki's snoozing form closer to her. The fire itself no longer provided any heat, the once intimate room seemed claustrophobic. Shadows loomed over her.

" _I must say, I'm impressed,"_ Jack noted running his hands over his beard. Now that he was illuminated by the fire, a faint orange glow lit up his tanned, scarred skin. His hair was sandy and short, pushed back away from his face which highlighted his large broken-looking nose. He leant his broad shoulders onto the fireplace, staring directly at Marinette with deep set eyes, and the young girl felt as though a million shards of ice were slowly piercing through her body _"considering you're from ninety years in the future, and across the Atlanic, you got up here much more quick than I thought. Here I was thinkin' I was going to have to come down and face you, or at least use this,"_ he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a jar. Inside the glass jar was a tiny black and purple butterfly. An Akuma.

If he was looking for a reaction, his new hostage wasn't going to give it to him. As scared as she was, she didn't want to appear intimidated. Any appearance of weakness would be a death sentence. Jack turned around, placing the Akuma back in his jacket _"Looks like I don't have to do that, you walked straight into me, and that idiot Cat Noir isn't gonna be back any time soon so I'll deal with you first. Just you and me girlie."_

The instant Jack looked away- Marinette's eyes frantically searched the room for something, anything, to defend herself with. Her eyes came to rest on a rather heavy looking desk lamp just a couple of metres away, on the other side of the sofa. _I just have to stall him until either Tikki wakes up, or Cat comes back._

" _Why don't you just go back home? You managed to take an entire building hostage, isn't that enough to seal your reputation?"_ The de-masked superheroine attempted to keep her voice from wobbling. She edged closer to the lamp, her eyes on Jack the whole time, her muscles rigid as she concentrated all her will on making no noise.

" _Ah so here you are, thinkin' you know everything about me, thinkin' you know everything about the way things run in this city,"_ He spat and, though she could only see his back, she noticed him visibly tense. Air could no longer reach her lungs. No. She couldn't let him get angry. If she did, he would be the last thing she ever saw. _"Well I've got news for you, you stupid French whore, people in my field of business don't find you the least bit threatening if you can be taken out by a bastard dressed like a cat and his stupid bug lady sidekick."_

At any other time Marinette would have been enraged at the various insults thrown at both herself and Cat, but she was too involved in getting to her weapon of choice. She was halfway there. She could do this! She just needed more time, to stall him more-

" _I was so close, the Flat Foots were just about to give me the ten million dollars I wanted. I would'a left here knowin' that everyone in this city would be afraid of me. The name Jack Genovese would go down in history, more so than his father's. But you two took that from me, so you can imagine how disappointed and upset I am,"_

SMASH!

Marinette jumped backwards in her seat. For one panicked moment, she thought he'd seen her reaching for the lamp. The smashing noises continued and she looked over at the fireplace to see Jack Genovese ripping everything around him off the mantelpiece. Vases, glass jars, ornaments, a small clock, he snatched everything into his manic grasp and threw them towards the ground so hard they all shattered into a million pieces. None were spared. Marinette seized her chance, in one swift movement she leapt across the sofa, her fingers gripped the lamp triumphantly. Her heart pounded-

The unmistakable noise of a gun click filled her ears.

" _Nuh-uh-uh girlie,"_ Jack was looking at her, the gun was pointed directly at _her_. In that moment she realised the seriousness of her situation. She was all alone with this maniac, with no Tikki or Cat to help her through.

She was powerless and staring down the barrel of a gun. And she was terrified.

He was panting heavily, his dark eyes were wide and wild but the gun was held firmly in his grip.

" _Apologies for going off like that girlie, I understand that could have caused you some fright. My temper can get the best of me when things don't go my way. But let's not do anything stupid,"_ He motioned with the gun, beckoned her towards him. Marinette didn't move.

_If I go up there I'll die._

" _Look girlie,"_ Jack hissed, his words full of venom _"I can either blow your brains out there, and spoil a perfectly good couch, or you can come up here and have a quiet little talk with me, it's up to you. I'll give you three seconds to decide. Three, two, o-"_

Marinette scrambled upwards, looking for anything else she could use to attack him with. Her footsteps were slow and they echoed about the room. Her breath was short and shaky, her fingers itched for a weapon, she was very much aware of the blood coursing through her body. There had to be a way out of this situation.

The next thing she knew, Jack lunged forward and grabbed her. Pinning one heavy arm around her torso so that her back was pressed against him, he shoved the gun underneath her jaw. The cold metal pressed against the softness of her skin made her insides freeze and, despite herself, she gave a strangled cry.

" _I may not be able to leave here tonight with ten million dollars_ ," Jack grunted as he pushed the gun so far into her flesh that she could feel it lifting her tongue _"but one way or another people are gonna fear and respect me. And killing Ladybug is certainly a good alternative don't you agree girlie?"_

She struggled against him, trying to angle herself so that she could throw him over her shoulder, stamp on his foot, _anything_ to get away from him. But it was no good. Jack grabbed a chunk of her hair and sunk his fingers into her flesh. The gun lifted away from her jaw and her heart lifted despite the pain shooting through her scalp, maybe he wasn't going to shoot her. This could be her way out. Her hands lifted up behind her to his face, blindly searching for his eyes, ready to rip and claw the cold things out if she had to in order to survive.

He pushed her forwards away from him, his leg swung up to kick her stomach and she crumpled to the floor, completely winded. He was so brutally strong, stronger than any foe she'd ever faced in hand to hand combat. She closed her eyes, expecting the barrel of the gun to press against her head- she thought of everyone who'd never know what happened to her because she'd never told them her identity. Chat. Her parents. Adrien. Alya. None of them would ever see her again if she died here tonight.

Instead of the coldness of the gun at the back of her head, Marinette felt a rush of heat on her face. She opened her eyes wide, felt the pressure of Jacks hands as he pushed her closer and closer into the fireplace. Realisation and horror hit her all at once.

He wasn't going to shoot her; he was going to _burn_ her.

Adrenaline shot through her and she pushed against him with all of her strength. Both of them shook with the sheer force of wills; Jack's to kill- Marinette's to live.

" _Now, now, girlie work with me here,"_ Jack grunted, wrapping his fingers even more tightly around Marinette's hair. She ignored his feigned pleas, struggling with all of her might. She refused to die like this.

Something glinting caught her eye. It was a large shard of glass which remained unbroken from Jack's earlier rampage. She didn't think twice.

Jack howled as the glass pieced the flesh of his leg and he instantly let go. Marinette span around and threw all of her force against him, trying to knock the gun from his grip but he held it as firmly as ever despite the long trail of blood now oozing from his leg.

" _BITCH!"_ The vicious gangster screamed at her as she clamoured for his gun, if she took his weapon away he'd be powerless, she could beat him she just had to-

Out of the corner of her eye she saw it. Jack grasped a small size table and hurled it into her side. She managed to dodge most of the blow but a leg struck her in the side- cause her to lose her footing. Before Marinette could recover from the attack, Jack kicked her once more and she stumbled across the room, saw him raise the gun at her. She had no time to right herself, no time to escape it, she saw a black shape in the corner of her eye-

-The gun went off.

In a split second, Marinette felt herself spin around, felt something heavy against her back.

The next second she felt the blood oozing past her neck, down her shoulder, spreading across her ruined dress, but she felt no pain-

Because it wasn't her blood.

* * *

"What the damn hell?!"

Mary was the first to acknowledge the police guard standing against the warehouse. Adrien huffed in annoyance. Their plan had been so perfect. As soon as explanations had been made, introductions given, and Tikki was well fed, they'd decided to make their way back to the warehouse where Adrien had first brought her. It was safe, it was out of the way, and Ladybug would be able to recover from the time travel in peace and quiet without any fear of nosy paparazzi. Not to mention performing the Miraculous Ladybug back at his place would reveal his identity. Still, Adrien fought hard not to yawn. It was getting late, night time was well under way and he knew he'd be exhausted tomorrow but he couldn't quite comprehend the concept of tomorrow anyway.

"Why are they here now? They haven't shown themselves this whole time. How are we going to, wait Mary what are you doing?! Mary wait no!" Adrien whispered to no avail as her watched her round the corner they'd been hiding behind and march straight up to the police office. He buried his face in his hands. _This is not good, this is so not good_ he thought.

As Mary began conversing (someone heatedly) with the police guard, Adrien debated with himself. Most people in Paris knew of him because of his modelling career or because of his father's prominence, or both. He'd risk getting in trouble if he went out there to help her, but still he couldn't leave her to fend for herself. Deciding to take the flak later and just deal with it, he walked out from their hiding place just in time to see Mary punch the police officer straight in the jaw. He crumpled to the ground- out for the count.

Adrien gaped at her whilst she brushed her hands together in a job-done sort of way "wha- what did you do that for?! More are going to come now!"

"Sorry he was just pissin' me off somethin' fierce. Stubborn men always think they can tell me what to do," she grumbled under her breath "told ya I had a wicked temper,"

Just then the policeman's walkie-talkie buzzed "Hello? Officer Vert? Report your status. Over."

Without thinking Adrien grabbed the walkie talkie off of the unconscious officer and automatically shifted to Chat-mode "Hey there, sorry to report but this isn't Officer Vert. It's the cities favourite cat-hero Chat Noir reporting for duty. We met Officer Vert on the way here and asked to borrow this device. Hope you don't mind. Sorry I haven't been around much recently, been super busy trying to find out how to fix this Akuma attack, but Ladybug and I have the situation under control. We'll update you later. Over."

Adrien met Mary's eyes and she pulled an impressed face at him, nodding in approval at his quick thinking. The walkie talkie buzzed once more.

"Good to hear your voice Chat Noir, we'll let you and Ladybug handle the situation. Keep us posted, over."

Adrien sighed in relief and, after carrying Officer Vert back to his car and placing him in there safely, the two superheroes trudged back into the warehouse.

"Tikki are you ready?" Mary asked gently staring at her Kwami. Adrien couldn't tear his eyes away from her as she transformed back into Ladybug. His mind raced with thousands of thoughts, none of them good. She looked at him from behind her spotted, sequined mask, tilting her head quizzically.

"Should you change back too?" She inquired and for a split second, Adrien wondered why she'd said it before he remembered. His Ladybug didn't know his real identity, even after only a day it seemed strange to him now that his Lady had no idea who he really was. It had seemed so easy to be himself with Mary, he wondered if it could be the same with Ladybug- if it could be better.

"Oh, yeah, right," he replied and without much thinking he asked Plagg to transform him back into Chat Noir.

The two heroes stood, silently facing each other. Although they were only a meter away it seemed to Chat that they were standing a world apart, and the gap was only widening.

"So…I guess this is it," Mary stated. Her tone seemed final yet unsure, she looked down at the phone in her hands "I guess you can take this back now, thanks for letting me use it. It's pretty amazing, this whole time in the future has been pretty crazy, but fun,"

Chat took her phone from her but didn't say anything else. What could he say? How could he possibly say anything in this situation?

Mary frowned and snatched the phone back "Jeez kiddo lighten up will ya? I'm going to 1927, not a funeral!"

Chat winced and her expression softened knowingly "I'll be alright Adrien,"

"Are you sure?" He choked, finally finding his voice.

"No," She replied and now her voice was shaking, her smile was wobbling but she kept it "but I'll do my damned hardest to be. I promise you that, I still owe ya for lunch and the new clothes. Now come on, I gotta go back sometime,"

She wrapped her arms around him in a friendly hug which Chat returned, trying to keep calm. After a few moments, Mary pulled away and stepped a few feet back. Chat watched her as she threw her yo-yo up into the air, gazed back down at her stomach. He swallowed. _Please let them be safe, please, please, please let them be safe._

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"

* * *

Marinette stumbled forwards, turning around she came face to face with Johnny, his face scrunched up in pain. Her heart beat pounded in her ears as she came to understand, as she watched the blood pouring from his shoulder.

He'd thrown himself in front of her. He let himself get shot for her.

"CAT!" She cried and made for him but he'd turned around, lunging towards Jack who was ready waiting. Marinette stood there helplessly as the two fought, superhero versus gangster, the blood flying from his wound. His ring beeped frantically. He was going to change back soon. She had to do something.

_The lamp._

" _Idiot!"_ Jack roared at Cat _"you're injured, you're weak, and you think you can fight me? You think you can stop me-"_ but Jack didn't get to finish his sentence. With all the force she had in her, Marinette grabbed the lamp and smashed it against Jack's head, he buckled, the other side of his head thudded onto the mantelpiece and he crumpled to the ground in a heap.

Somewhere behind her she heard Tikki waking up but Marinette didn't even stop to consider it. She rushed forward, just as Johnny transformed, his eyes rolled back into his head. She caught him as he fell towards her.

"Johnny? JOHNNY?!" Marinette all but screamed as she brought him down to the ground. He was still conscious but the bullet had gone straight through his shoulder and he was losing a lot of blood.

Tikki and Plagg both floated up to her, Plagg was wobbly in his movements and Tikki leaned up to support him. Marinette turned her frantic blue eyes onto them.

"Help me, help me please I- he took the shot for me, he saved me. I don't know what to do," she trembled, her arms were covered in his blood now. She looked up at him.

"Keep speaking to him Marinette, keep him conscious and put pressure on the wound. I'll transform you but I'm too weak, you won't be able to use your powers to help him. But you need the disguise, you need to get help for him. He needs a doctor," Tikki replied. Marinette whimpered, looking around for something to help with the bleeding before looking down at her blue dress.

"It's ok Johnny, I'm just going to tear my dress a little bit," she said, her voice quaking. She ripped up the hem of her dress and slung it over the wound, knowing the pressure wouldn't be effective for much longer. Once she did that, Tikki transformed her. She didn't notice.

"It's…it's fine Miss…more-more where they c-came from," her heart lifted in hope, he was responding. It was weak and shuddery and his breaths were coming out in short rasps but he was still awake.

"We need to get you a doctor,"

"I'll be fine,"

"Johnny,"

"Thank you…thank, you for helping me- M-Marinette,"

Why did that sound like a goodbye?

Panic pierced her chest as she watched his eyes go glassy, his face grow pale, he began to lose consciousness. A faint white glow surrounded her, and suddenly grew stronger. Her stomach dropped.

"JOHNNY!" Marinette screamed but it was too late, the last thing she saw was Johnny's eyes closed, his head lolled to the side, as she disappeared in a blinding flash of light.

At first all Chat could see was the blood.

"Ladybug?!"

She was crouched on the ground, her fingers grasping at air, her hair was loose. There was so much blood. Chat rushed to her side as she stared, her eyes wide and glassy "Ladybug?" he repeated once more, reaching to touch her shoulder.

The second he touched her, Ladybug snapped out of her reverie. She shook her head frantically.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, NO, NO!" She was screaming and before Chat could register what was happening she grabbed his shoulders instead "Chat we have to go back we have to save him! Johnny! He- he-"

Her eyes glazed over. Chat caught her just in time as the last of her strength failed her and she finally succumbed to the darkness…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ummm....sorry? *sheepish look*   
> If it helps you feel better I was physically shaking after writing Jack and Marinette's confrontation scene. Ick, Jack Genovese sucks!


	10. chapter 10

* * *

Chapter 10

"It's alright Chat, just open your eyes. I'm sure after all she's been through she won't care anymore,"

"I can't, Tikki. Not until she tells me it's ok,"

"If you're sure-"

"I am,"

Marinette stirred, feeling the weight of something warm and heavy against her. Her head was pounding and the words she heard as she re-appeared in the waking world seemed as though they were muffled. Blearily, she lifted her heavy eyelids and groaned as her vision refocused. Tikki smiled at her in a comforting but tired manner, and she knew then that she must have transformed back. Her heart slammed into her chest and she shot up, eyes wide, instantly awake.

"Ladybug?" She looked to her left and her nose brushed against Chat Noir's chest. His arms were wrapped around her waist, holding her in place on his lap as they sat on the floor. His eyes were firmly closed. She didn't even register their closeness; her mind was reeling with memories.

"Chat! Johnny he-"

"Hey, hey LB it's ok," he soothed but she could feel his arms trembling "Tikki told me what happened whilst you were out. Mary swapped back with you, I'm s-sure she saved him somehow,"

"But he was- he was bleeding so much. How could anybody survive that?" She couldn't believe the words she was saying, couldn't believe what had happened. She'd lost her chance to fix everything, she couldn't go back and help them. What was done, was done. A cold finality clutched her and she subconsciously shifted closer to Chat. He was so warm.

"I can't remember much," Her pink Kwami yawned and flew up to rest on Chat's arm. It should have felt strange, seeing Tikki interact with Chat that way, but Marinette was too distracted to notice or care "I remember all the old things that happened. I remember that Mary was supposed to die that night. But I now remember new things. I remember you being there. I remember coming back with Mary and seeing the blood and hearing her screams- but it's alright!" she quickly comforted as Marinette recoiled in horror "I also remember a doctor and I remember Johnny waking up, I remember Mary being sick she was so relieved. Besides, those in possession of a miraculous can heal a lot better than most other people!"

Marinette flopped backwards, her own relief flooding in, making her feel faint. "So he's ok, he's really ok…"

"But what about you?" Chat replied seriously and she felt his arms tighten around her. She looked down, realisation of where she was finally hit her and her face turned bright red.

"Chat," she choked "why am I on your lap?"

She watched as the blood rushed to his own cheeks, his grip loosened and he shifted uncomfortably. His eyes remained closed "well- uh- you see. I'm sorry my lady, when you came back you passed out and I reached out to catch you," his words became more frantic and hurried as he went on and Marinette stared at him in wonder "I wanted to move you somewhere safe but as I was carrying you, you changed back and I didn't know what to do so I kind of just sat down and tried to put you down next to me whilst my eyes were closed and then you sort of clung to me so I stayed like this because I didn't want to leave you and I didn't want to open my eyes because then I'd find out who you are and I know you don't want us to know each other's identities so I refused to open my eyes even though Tikki said it would be alright and I-"

"Chat," Marinette interrupted, genuinely moved by the amount of care he took for her wishes and her wellbeing. She didn't move away "breathe kitty,"

Chat sighed, leaning forward he rested his head on her shoulder "I missed you Ladybug,"

Marinette felt something stir within her. She looked at Chat as though she was seeing him for the first time. Chat Noir, the hero of Paris. Ladybug knew of his affection towards her, always dismissed his flirtations as something silly. A joke. Softly, Marinette reached out her hand. Though her movements appeared calm as she lifted his chin up to face her, her mind and heart were screaming with apprehension. It wasn't a joke to her anymore.

"Chat," she trembled "look at me."

She felt his torso stiffen, heard the small gasp as her words slowly sank in.

"Are you- are you sure?" His voice sounded as faint as hers did "you've been through a lot tonight, or ninety years ago-"

"Kitty, I almost died tonight," she cut across him, her resolve growing stronger by the second as Chat once again gripped her tightly in silent protectiveness "and all I could think of was how I could die and nobody would ever find out what happened to me. All I could think of was that I'd be dead and you'd never know who I was. That kind of fear is so much worse than any fear I felt about revealing our identities. So, please, Chat Noir look at me. Look at who I really am."

Adrien's mind raced. He recalled this time over twenty-four hours ago, when Mary had seen his true identity for the first time. She had accepted him without even thinking twice about it. It had been so easy. Could he be so lucky with his own Ladybug? His mind went back to all the times he'd dreamed about this moment, wishing and hoping for it to one day arrive. It had never been this way in his head. It had never been with the knowledge that he could have lost her forever.

"Before I do, my Lady," He began, remembering a vow he made to tell her a long time ago, as far back as when he first realised her place in his heart "I just want to promise you that whoever you are behind the mask is just as important to me as the Lady with the spots and the yo-yo. I'll be both of your partners until the day I die. I won't ever make the mistake I made with Time Twister again," He heard her breath catch in her throat, never knowing just how much those words had touched her as he blindly felt for her hands, clutching them in his own.

He opened his eyes.

Marinette looked back at him, watched as recognition and realisation dawned in his expression. His face paled, his jaw grew slack. He dropped her hands. Suddenly Marinette was regretting her decision.

" _Marinette_ ," He gasped sure that he was dreaming. Or was it a nightmare? He couldn't figure it out. The thought that Marinette and Ladybug were one and the same paled in comparison to the understanding that he could have lost them both, that it wasn't just Ladybug who was covered in blood but Marinette too.

"H-hi Chat," she laughed completely humourlessly, looking down to avoid his gaze. _This was a mistake. A colossal mistake._ "Sorry I'm not more interesti-" her words perished in her throat as Chat Noir threw his arms around her, pulling her in tight.

"I was so worried about you. Marinette I- when I found out you were missing- I" He couldn't bring himself to speak anymore, just clung to her like she was the only thing that mattered in his whole world.

And that was all it took for the weight of everything that happened to finally crash down upon her. Reaching up she buried herself in Chat Noir's embrace and pressed her face into his chest "I'm sorry I got us into this mess, I'm sorry Chat. I'm so sorry," she repeated desperately, over and over again until he relaxed into her. A low rumble reverberated around his chest, a comforting purr, and she snuggled in closer until she stopped speaking a started feeling instead.

"You have _nothing_ to be sorry about," Chat pulled away and Marinette found herself missing the closeness despite the fact that they were only inches from each other. She could see his eyelashes, could still feel the purring. They were so close. Chat smiled as he reached out to once again place his hand in hers. This time there were no blushes, no racing hearts. It was calm, natural, as though they'd always been this way, "Besides you did it! Because you were there, Mary is alive and from the sounds of it Johnny is too! You saved all of us, and you did most of it as yourself from the sounds of it. You really are amazing, with and without the suit. I always knew it but now I know you're also Marinette? It makes it so much truer."

Marinette looked away under the weight of his praise. Not knowing how to register it in her mind, she changed the subject "Do you- do you really think Johnny is ok?"

After a short pause, Chat spoke "well, there are a couple of ways to find out, one of them…is right here," he gestured to his ring and Marinette's eyes flew wide open. She bit her lip.

"Are you sure Chat? Just because I revealed my identity it doesn't meant that you need to."

"I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life," Chat responded with finality "as long as you're ok with it,"

Marinette closed her eyes, took a deep breath. Johnny's words filled her mind once more _he's a man not a machete._

She looked at him, squeezing his gloved hands in her own blood-stained one. She nodded. Chat needed no more.

A glow filled the room as Chat released his transformation. She saw Plagg float out of the ring, knew he'd said something but she couldn't hear him. She couldn't hear anything. It was as though she were frozen solid and melted ice all at the same time.

For there, sitting right in front of her, staring at her with that same Chat Noir expression of adoration and tenderness, was Adrien Agreste.

She tried to scramble upwards, away from his lap, but her legs were dead from sitting on Chat's- _Adrien's_ \- lap for so long and she floundered, hitting the floor with a thud.

"A-are you ok?" Adrien reached out to her, startled, but she shook her head frantically as she scooted away from his grasp.

"Adrien?! How- what- I can't," every interaction with Chat Noir rushed through her memories to be replaced with Adrien instead. Adrien flirting with her, Adrien throwing himself in front of her to protect her from numerous attacks, Adrien fighting by her side, KISSING ADRIEN to break Dark Cupid's spell on him. She felt like passing out. But she couldn't. She had to calm down or else he'd think the worst. Marinette closed her eyes, breathed deeply.

It was a full minute before she could find the courage to speak.

"I- I always knew you were smart and strong but this? This is insane!" She opened her eyes and looked back at him. His head was tilted to one side, yet a small smile was growing on his face. He looked like a kitten being adopted. It was adorable. Her head span. She just associated the word _adorable_ with Chat Noir. She was going to go mad.

"Do you mean Chat or Adrien?" His smiled grew into a grin and she frowned, not liking where this was going, but deciding to be honest anyway.

"I meant Adrien," she replied, confused by his surprised reaction "but I suppose I mean both of you now too,"

"Are you disappointed?" He asked and her heart felt it would give out from the uncertainty laced in his tone. Neither of them were sure what to feel. From one second to the next; confusion, happiness, shock, fear, all attempted to consume their hearts. Not one emotion out and out succeeded. So there they sat, unsure of which direction to take.

"No," she hoped he'd believe her, hoped he'd see just how amazing he was "I'm just- this is going to take some getting used to. B-but I will get used to it," she doubted her last few words. How could she possibly get used to Adrien flirting with her, however harmlessly? How could she interact with him as Chat now, without turning into a stuttering mess?

"Before you start getting all kissy-kissy with each other, which should be any second now," Plagg interrupted with an eye roll and the superhero duo both turned beetroot red, turning away from each other. Adrien scowled at his Kwami but Plagg ignored it "did you guys want to find out if Johnny was ok? 'Cause I'm pretty much in the same boat as Tikki. Our new memories are weird. They're like one of those camera thingies, some things are in focus and others aren't. I remember Johnny waking up though, and I remember there being stitches. He swore. A lot. But after that it's really blurry, I can't make anything out. Hey what the- get off!" Plagg yelped as Marinette grabbed him, squeezing him in a fierce cuddle.

"You wonderful kitty! Thank you so much for telling me that!" She laughed, the last of her doubts easing from her poor troubled soul. Adrien coughed.

"I told you first," she heard him mumble and Plagg looked at him in disgust.

"Jealousy isn't a good look for a model," He shot back even as he squirmed out of Marinette's hold.

"PLAGG!" Adrien face-palmed. Marinette giggled, both amused and unsettled by how Adrien seemed to be so much like Chat when he wasn't thinking about it. The teen wondered if Chat was his true self, or if he was somewhere in-between like she was. Perhaps, if she was lucky, she'd be able to find out.

Marinette was drawn out of her musings by Tikki nudging her shoulder "we should really get back home. We're both tired and I'm sure your parents are worried sick!"

Marinette glanced down at herself, at the ruined blood-soaked flapper dress, and felt a dilemma roaring up to meet her just as she was sure she'd have no other issues to deal with "I can't go home like _this._ My parents will freak! They don't even know what happened to me!"

"Actually-" Adrien interrupted whilst he stood up, offering a hand to Marinette which she took and he pulled her upright. She didn't move away from him. He didn't let go of her hand "-they know you went back into the past. The police didn't give them much information so I paid them a visit as Chat Noir. I let them know what happened and promised I'd get you back."

Marinette's heart felt like it was going to burst in her chest. Without realising what she was doing she began to stroke his hand with her thumb "thank you for doing that kitty- I mean Adrien- it means a lot,"

"Don't mention it," He smiled at her, his voice deepening as he tried not to stare. How had he not noticed that those amazing bluebell eyes, which looked at him behind a polka-dotted mask, had been the same ones he looked at every day at school? Plagg was right, he was an idiot "as for your dress and the- the err blood- you can clean up at my place. We'll sneak in like Mary and I had to. Mary has some spare clothes which we bought so she could fit in here. You can use them, and then I'll take you back to your house."

Marinette thought about questioning why he needed to take her home when she could take herself, but she decided she didn't want to. Something was shifting in their relationship, something neither of them could quite fathom. All she knew is she wanted to spend as much time with this new Adrien as possible.

So together they snuck past the now awake- and slightly confused- policeman. Marinette stifled her laughter as Adrien told her just how the guard had been knocked out. Though she had never met her, she liked Mary and was glad things now seemed to be alright for their 1920's predecessors.

As the cool night air hit Adrien's face, the young model couldn't help the beam that spread across it. He felt on top of the world. Both Marinette and Ladybug were safe, they were the same incredible person and Mary was going to be ok too! He felt like singing, Mary and Johnny would be alright and together they'd raise their Catbug safely and happily. He wondered when Mary would find out (or rather _had_ found out) about the little thing, wondered if it was a boy or girl. He decided to look it up later using the newspaper archive. He hoped if it was a boy she'd called it Adrien. That would be cool! Or if it was a girl maybe they'd called her Marinette? He'd have to tell Marinette about it once all the madness cooled down, he was sure she'd be thrilled.

Once they snuck into his room Marinette shyly went into his bathroom, clutching Mary's clothes which Adrien gave to her. The sounds of the shower running hit his ears and Adrien fell straight onto his bed. After a few minutes of allowing himself to simply breathe, he tilted his head to the side, looking at his computer. It seemed like weeks ago now that he had discovered the awful news about Mary's fate. Curious, he sat up, making his way towards his desk. It was on sleep-mode now, but with one wiggle of the mouse, he would be able to see the article once more. If it had changed, then he'd know what had happened to Mary and Johnny with absolute certainty. He reached out-

A small noise diverted his attention and he glanced over to see Marinette standing in the middle of his room, her hands wrapped around herself. He tried, he honestly tried, not to notice the way her wet hair clung to the back of her neck, tried not to notice the way the simple white t-shirt clung to various parts of her body which had yet to dry. Adrien swallowed and span away from her, his heart racing.

Marinette didn't know what to say. One wild thought entered her mind that she had somehow made him cross with her. But that couldn't be it. She watched as he marched over to Plagg, who was happily munching on some camembert, and asked him to transform in a slightly strangled voice.

Chat Noir turned back to her with a cheeky grin and a bow. It was much easier to face her looking like that when he had his mask on "your taxi has arrived, Princess."

Marinette thought back ninety years in the past, when Johnny had held the taxi door open for her and she had wondered if Chat would do the same. She laughed and sauntered over to him, taking his hand.

"Why thank you good sir," she replied as Tikki landed on her shoulder. Their witticisms died on their lips, however, as Chat lifted her up into his arms. Using his baton to steady them, they made their way towards her home. He'd carried her before but this was different somehow. He held her tighter, she relaxed into him more. It felt strange, almost…intimate.

The spell ended though, as they landed on her balcony and Tikki hid in the shadows. Marinette inhaled sharply, suddenly feeling extremely nervous. She pulled open her door and stepped into the room, feeling comfort in its familiarity. Chat followed closely behind, unwilling to leave her side.

"Mum!" She cried "Dad!"

Somewhere in the apartment she heard something smashing as two pairs of feet thundered through the apartment and burst through into her room. She gasped as she came face to face with her parents, rushing towards her and throwing their arms around her. Marinette almost buckled with the force of them colliding into her but she didn't care, she was so blissfully happy to see them.

Her mother burst into tears and her father wasn't far behind her "oh Marinette, Marinette we're so glad you're home!"

"Sweetheart we were so worried about you," her father said, his voice rough as he wiped the tears from his eyes. He pulled away from her a fraction "but Chat Noir he-" Tom's eyes met Chat's and Chat awkwardly waved at them all. Marinette felt a rush of endearment towards him.

"You really did it, son, you really brought her back!" and before Chat realised what was happening, Tom had thrown himself around him and had lifted him up, squeezing him. Chat wheezed.

"D-don't worry about it."

"Papa please, you'll choke him!" Marinette cried softly but couldn't fight her laughter. Tom released Chat Noir from his hold and ruffled his hair with a huge belly-laugh.

"Sabine was right, we're forever in debt to you my boy," he reached out a large hand and Chat Noir took it, shaking it. A sense of pride filled Adrien at the praise he was receiving, at the knowledge he finally seemed to have done something right. His eyes met Marinette's and they grinned at each other. Her eyes twinkled secretively and Chat felt a shiver run through his tail and straight up his spine, making him dizzy.

"R-right well, I best be going. It's late and even the heroes of Paris need their rest!" He winked at Marinette, not noticing the way both of her parents looked between the pair.

"Thank you Chat Noir, for everything." Marinette replied in a tone that suggested she was thankful for far more than she let on. His mouth went dry and, without another word, he waved and Marinette watched him leap off the balcony onto the rooftops beyond. Her parents came to stand beside her.

"Now, now missy," Sabine's tone was teasing, and Marinette frowned at her "I know he rescued you but you can't go falling in love with Chat Noir!"

"Definitely not," Tom agreed with a chuckle "we can't have you being a regular damsel in distress once all the bad guys find out that you're his girlfriend!"

Marinette looked back at the view from her balcony and saw Chat's fading silhouette as he went back home, back to Adrien's home. She felt a strange new warmth spreading in her heart. A secret smile spread across her face.

"Trust me Papa," she replied "you don't have to worry about that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See I told you there'd be romance :D I don't think romance is my strong suit but I do my best and if you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, then that is all that matters.
> 
> Until the next time! Also pretty much halfway there! ^_^ XxXx


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Marinette's favourite time of the year was spring. She couldn't help but celebrate the coming of all the new flowers, the smells she was extra sensitive to due to her Ladybug-esque nature. As the weeks went on and she regained some semblance of normality, she found herself smiling more often than not. Her time in the 1920's almost seemed like a dream, but the ruined dress in her closet served as a reminder. She wanted to find a way to repair it somehow.

Her and Adrien spent almost every free moment they had together. At first they'd tried to research exactly what had happened to Mary and Johnny but most sites turned up a strangely blank. There had been a few articles about Johnny and Mary's early retirement from the stage. There was also a short statement about their child being born which had made the pair leap up into the air, hugging each other ecstatically before they realised exactly what they were doing, awkwardly stepping away from their embrace with red faces and nervous chuckles. However, after the news of the baby girl, Marian Jones, being born on January 18th 1928, the articles ran dry. It seemed the media didn't care about the lives of a few former Broadway stars. Their Kwami's were no help either. Both of them had kept their old memories but the new ones they had were fuzzy and, whenever they tried to think about them in more detail, they ended up feeling weak and dizzy. Eventually Marinette and Adrien decided to stop asking them (especially after some rather harsh words from Plagg). After all, the new memories were becoming clearer by the day. They just needed to be patient, they'd have their answers soon.

Once that had been decided their research sessions turned into study sessions, which then became gaming sessions, finally developing into hanging-out-just-because sessions where they talked about nothing and everything. Although both were still rather nervous around each other, a new sort of familiarity was settling in. The days were brighter, the sunshine never seemed to stop kissing the city. Everyone seemed to be in a better mood. Adrien certainly was. His father had been away on a business trip for the past two weeks and even Hawkmoth hadn't shown himself (or his Akumas) recently. Aside from the odd modelling shoot, he felt a sense of freedom he hadn't felt since he'd been released from the prison of his home-schooled life.

In short it seemed like a perfect time for a picnic.

"Would you guys hurry it up already?" Alya called out to Adrien and Nino, as she waved from a blank patch of grass at the usually packed Champ De Mars. The Effiel tower shone down on the three, reaching up to the endless blue sky. Nino and Adrien set out the picnic blanket, playfully trying to whip it into the other's face using the cautious noontime breeze to aid them. Alya rolled her eyes, wincing when it aggravated the bruise on her cheek.

Just as Adrien had the upper hand he heard Alya call out "Ah! Little Miss Late, good to see you finally arrived!"

Marinette was hurrying over to them, wearing a short cream floaty dress adorned with tiny patterns of roses, which Adrien was sure she'd made herself. Her trademark twin tails poked out from beneath the brim of eggshell-coloured floppy hat. In her arms she struggled to hold two large wicker baskets and fumbled with them, almost tripping up, but the gigantic beam across her face never wavered. _Cute_ Adrien thought with a blush _so, so cute._

The picnic blanket smacked him straight across the face and he yelped in surprise.

"HAHA I win bro! You snooze you lose!" Nino cried puffing out his chest. Adrien ignored him, his ego stinging more than his cheek. With relief he realised Marinette hadn't witnessed his blunder.

"Sorry I'm late everyone, my dad was just finishing up some extra things to give us! Look!" Marinette puffed as she placed the baskets down onto the blanket. Rummaging around, she lifted a plethora of pies, cookies and croissants out of them. The delicious smells wafted up in the air, turning the heads of a few passers-by, and Adrien's eyes lit up. He'd been wanting to try Dupain-Cheng cookies for months! Nino squealed in excitement as they all settled down more comfortably. Adrien shifted a fraction closer to Marinette, leaning back so he could rest his arm behind her. It wasn't quite touching, but with the way his body reacted he might as well have been running a race. Or sticking his finger in a plug socket. Both were less than ideal alternatives.

"Woah. I am so looking forward to stuffing my face with those cookies until I gain, like, 20 kilos," Alya cried happily, then frowned. Reaching up, her fingers brushed against the mottled yellow bruise dashed across her cheekbone "well stuffing my face as much as I can anyway, this stupid bruise still hasn't gone away! So much for hippies being all about free love!"

"I didn't know hippies could punch that hard," Marinette replied, trying to hide the guilt in her tone as she helped herself to a croissant. Adrien looked at her with a concerned frown but his partner refused to meet anybody's eyes, her head lowered enough so that her hat covered half of her face.

"Yeah well I punched harder," Alya grinned wickedly. Briefly distracted from his worry, Adrien snorted. He was glad that the feisty reporter handled herself so well.

"It had to be worth it though!" Nino leaned into her and she raised her eyebrow at him. "Come on! You got to see Hendrix! HENDRIX man! At Newport '69! I'd kill to be there, that was one of the biggest festivals next to Woodstock!"

"I preferred seeing Marvin Gaye, that guy is smooooth," Alya retorted with a sassy wiggle. Nino gaped at her, appalled.

"WHAT?! You take that back!"

As the pair began their usual round of bickering Adrien leaned in close to Marinette and mumbled into her ear.

"You ok Princess?"

Marinette gave a short "eep!" at his pet name for her, not quite used to it falling from Adrien's lips instead of Chat's. She still refused to meet his gaze, biting her lip, yet Adrien didn't miss the way she glanced over at Alya, the way her eyebrows crinkled. His hand brushed over hers in comfort.

"It wasn't your fault," he whispered and she shrugged. The corners of Adrien's mouth fell as he watched her. They'd been over this before, and it seemed that there was nothing he could do to change her mind. He'd seen Marinette's horror-stricken face the day they went back to school, when she'd seen Alya's bruise for the first time and the blogger proudly told the story of how a hippie had tried to mug her and she beat him down. How could he make her see that she wasn't to blame for her getting hurt? What could he do?

He reached up and lightly touched her chin, turning her head towards him so that her eyes finally met his own. They were filled with sadness, and seemed to be an even deeper shade of blue than usual because of it, despite the pink glow on her cheeks.

He didn't like it. He preferred when her eyes were light and carefree like the Spring sky above them.

"Princess," He began "you-"

He was interrupted with the sound of a cough and, still not letting go of Marinette's chin, the secret superheroes both twisted around to face the source of the noise. Nino and Alya were staring at them, their arguments halted. Both looked like they'd been slapped in the face. The slice of pie in Nino's hand slipped and fell onto his leg with a loud splat. He didn't notice.

Adrien and Marinette leapt away from each other, turning the same colour as the roses on her dress, but the damage had already been done.

"Hey, would you look at that, _silly_ _me_ forgot to pick up the drinks!" Alya forced the words out through gritted teeth. Reaching out she grabbed Marinette by the arm and yanked her upwards, "Marinette would you be sooo kind as to help me? Kaythanksbyeguysseeyainasecond!" and before Marinette even knew what was happening, she was being frog marched right through a tree lined path and down a street where they'd be out of earshot of the boys. But not before they heard Nino yelling-

"DUDE WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

"Ow, ow, ow, Alya! Calm down!" Marinette cried as she struggled in her best friend's steel-like hold. Alya swung her around next to a corner shop and placed her hands on her the black-haired girl's shoulders. The young girl gulped as she stared at, what she inwardly referred to as, Alya's truth-seeking face.

"Deets. Now."

Marinette tried to swallow, but her mouth was suddenly itchy and dry "I- I don't know what you mean! Heh, heh. Now you said something about drinks? Jeez I'm super thirsty all of a sudden!"

"Marinette. Girl. Please. Don't even," Alya shook her head, her long brown locks mimicking her movements as if even her hair was trying to seek out the gossip "do you think I'm blind? Just because some stupid hippie punched me in the face doesn't mean I've lost half my brain cells! I've seen the way you two have been looking at each other ever since our little field trips through time, I know he was with you when you went to give your statement to the police, and now this? What is going on?!"

When Marinette refused to answer, simply because she couldn't quite understand what was going on herself, Alya continued.

"You know what I think?" She ventured "I think once Adrien knew you went missing he realised his feelings for you. I talked to Nino, apparently he took it really hard when he found out you were missing. He stared at your empty seat like it was something from a horror movie or something, and he barely spoke to anyone and practically ran out of the classroom the first chance he got. It's so perfect you know! It's like that old saying, you don't know what you have until it's gone!"

Marinette didn't know how to react to that. Sure she'd known Chat had missed her, she'd known he'd taken it hard when he found out she'd gone missing. He'd said so himself the night they were reunited. It stupidly never occurred to her that Adrien must have felt the same, she was still trying to put the two together in her head.

"I don't know; I mean sure we've gotten closer ever since I came back. But I think he just cares about me a lot," Marinette shifted from foot to foot, playing with her fingers "you know, like friends?"

" _Marinette_ ," Alya gave a near strangled response, putting her face in her palm in utter exasperation "aside from the million other things wrong with what you just said, I'm just gonna be straight with you," Her hands moved from Marinette's shoulders to her biceps and she leaned in so that their noses were almost touching "friends. don't. call. friends. _Princess!"_

Before Marinette had a chance to respond, the pair were bumped roughly by a man in a large trench coat. They stumbled and Alya span around, glaring at the man who hadn't even acknowledged them.

"Hey!" She yelled "watch it!"

The man stopped and turned back towards them slowly. His eyes were pale and oddly unfocused, yet furious and cold. Marinette instinctively struck a silent fighting stance, but she needn't have bothered. As soon as the man glanced at them he swung his coat and marched off, disappearing into the crowd like he'd never been there to begin with.

"What a weirdo!" Alya scrunched her nose in disapproval "I tell you this city gets stranger by the minute," When she met Marinette's troubled expression, she placed her hand on her shoulder. "Hey I'm sure it's nothing. Come on, the sooner we get those drinks the sooner you can get back to _lover boy,"_

Marinette followed Alya into the store, spluttering like mad as her friend cackled at her embarrassment. The man in the trench coat was forgotten as they re-joined the boys. Adrien's grin was rather sheepish and he reached up to scratch the back of his head. Nino and Alya shared silent looks between each other as Marinette settled down beside him, closer than before, and offered him a cola. Pretty soon the sounds of all of their laughter filled the air, dancing with the birds on the breeze, attracting the attention of strangers; some smiled at them whilst others shook their heads, thinking they were just obnoxious teens. If only they'd known just what the four had had to go through recently, perhaps they would have been more lenient in their judgements.

Not that any of the four cared either way, all they needed was the bright Parisian day and each other's company to feel better again.

The sweets were a bonus though.

* * *

"Ok this is getting obnoxious," Plagg complained "how long am I gonna have to put up with you being all lovey-dovey?"

Adrien's arms wrapped around his pillow, his head poked out from the top where he'd buried his face into it. Previously squealing in delight, he was now pouting at his Kwami.

"Oh, _sorry_ I'm actually happy Plagg" He answered back "I'm sure you'd much rather I was all mopey again."

"Honestly yeah, mopey you was a lot easier to take," Plagg snapped leaning on the pillow "you being all love sick over Maribug is making me nauseated!"

"It's probably 'cause you ate too much cheese you pig," Adrien retorted, falling back onto his bed with a sigh of content. "And I can't help it, she's just so, argh, she's so amazing! And smart! And funny! And talented! And cute! And I just want to see her all the time! This is incredible! I can't believe she's Marinette and Ladybug all rolled into one amazing person. It's the best thing ever you know?!"

"Yes, I do know," The Kwami face-planted on the bed beside him with his own sigh, albeit a long suffering one "I knew the first time ya told me, I knew the eighth time ya told me, I knew the one thousand, three hundred and ninety fifth time ya told me. Now would you PLEASE give it a rest? I'm going to lose my lunch!"

"I'm going to go see her. I have to go see her. Tonight!" Adrien scrambled off the bed, rushing to the mirror to check his hair.

"Are you for real right now?!" Plagg looked at him like he'd gone mad.

"You think she'd mind? That I'd visit her?" His heart raced, excitement filled his body to the brim so that he felt he might burst from it.

"Kid are you even listen to me?"

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind, or would she? It's evening time, I guess I wouldn't be able to explain it to her parents. Nah I'm sure it'd be fine! I'll just say she forgot some homework and the teacher asked me to pass it on to her!"

"Oh yeah GREAT plan," Plagg flew straight into his face "All that fuss of calling your driver, making up a lie, going allll the way to her house, only to spend the two minutes it would take to give her this supposed 'homework', you're lucky Ladybug is the brains of your partnership!"

Adrien stopped in his tracks, smirking all of a sudden. His green eyes twinkled.

"You're right Plagg, it would be stupid to do that. I'd only get a few minutes with her as Adrien," he began in a sly tone, leaning towards his Kwami "but as Chat…"

Plagg backed away from him, his own green eyes wide and fearful.

"Oh no. Nope. No, no, no, no, no, no, NO! Leave me out of this! I wanna stay here, I still have supper!"

But Adrien was not to be deterred. Once the idea was in his head, he couldn't let himself forget it. The vision of Chat Noir romantically showing up on Marinette's balcony for a secret Romeo-and-Juliet type rendezvous (only with less death) was formed in his mind and there was no removing it.

"Come on Plagg, it'll be romantic!"

"You sicken me. To think you'd put romance over food."

"Plaag."

"No!"

"Plaaaaaag."

"Nu-uh!"

"PLAGG!"

"Ok, ok! Fine! But I am never doing this again you hear me? NEVER!"

* * *

"This is a disaster!" Marinette cried, waving her hands in the air as she spun in her seat "a huge disaster!"

"Oh Marinette, really, it isn't at all," Tikki smiled, trying not to giggle at Marinette's latest Adrien-Chat Noir related freak-out. So far it had been the third one this hour. The little pink Kwami watched Marinette, her homework forgotten, as she paced like a caged animal. The golden light of the setting sun filled her attic room, the perfect juxtaposition to her anxieties. Dust particles danced lazily as they caught the rays of the light beams. Everything around her seemed relaxed, ready to end the day. She was the complete opposite. She'd never been more awake.

Sitting back down she buried her face in her hands.

"Tikki I don't know what I'm going to do! I can't get Alya's words out of my head and I don't want them there because they aren't true UGH!" She began to hit her head on the desk repeatedly with every word "stupid Alya, stupid Chat, stupid Adrien, STUPID ME!"

"You know what Alya said was true Marinette!" Tikki flew up and landed next to her, holding up Marinette's forehead to prevent her from bashing it against the desk even more. "He has feelings for you, you even admitted to me that he was looking at you differently."

"Yes but it's because he knows I'm Ladybug now." Marinette argued "Of course we're going to get closer because of that. It has nothing to do with-"

She was silenced by a knock on her window. Her and Tikki glanced at each other, both wearing matching expressions of confusion. Marinette leaned back in her chair, not quite believing her eyes when she saw Chat Noir on the other side.

"Chat?!" She cried "what the- AHH!" Marinette yelped as she attempted to stand up, instead falling backwards as her and the chair tumbled to the ground. Her legs stuck up awkwardly. Groaning, she righted herself, ignoring Chat's laughter as she opened the latch and pulled him inside, her voice shifting into a whisper. "What are you doing here? Is there and Akuma? Do we need to fight?"

"No Akuma's to report. But are you alright Princess? It seems like you've taken two trips in recent weeks. That one looked slightly more painful," He chuckled, sauntering up to her with a playful grin.

"Ha, ha Kitty. Hilarious," She rolled her eyes, inwardly cringing (understatement of the century, what she really wanted to do was crawl under her bed, screaming until the end of the world happened and everyone forgot about what a clumsy moron she was). She couldn't believe that he'd seen her do something so un-Ladybug-like.

A strange silence settled over them, a silence that spoke a thousand words. Marinette wanted to ask why he was here, but lost the nerve to do so. Truth be told, despite all her worrying, she was glad to see him. She was always glad to see him no matter what guise he donned. He was like coming home, the only person in this time who knew who she really was and she loved it. It thrilled her, all of their secret knowing looks, their silent in-jokes whenever Alya mentioned the Ladyblog and her theories on who Chat Noir and Ladybug were. It was a story only they could read, a piece of art only they could comprehend, their own secret world of magic and wonder and Marinette allowed herself to get lost in it.

"Hey, I want to show you something," She said finally breaking the silence. "Follow me,"

"As always, my Ladyness," He replied as she led him up her ladder towards her skylight.

Marinette stopped in her tracks, peering down at him with a dubious look.

"My Ladyness?"

"I'm trying to find a way to combine my nicknames for you," He explained, and now it was his turn to be mortified "Plagg calls you Maribug now!"

After a few torturous seconds, Marinette responded with an endearing softness to her voice.

"Princess is fine, as is My Lady for when I'm Ladybug. You don't have to combine them. Dork," She wasn't chiding him, no instead she was smiling from her to ear and he beamed back at her.

"Princess it is, Princess," He acknowledged as she helped him through to her balcony. The view was breath-taking, the pinks and golds and faded blues scattered across the sky like a lovers painting. The lights of the city sparkled as people began turning on their home lights and streetlamps started to light the way for Parisians out and about for the evening. Chat grinned, proud that this was their city, his and hers. Together they'd protect it for as long as they needed to. His eyes switched to Marinette, who was leaning over her railing, the evening air caressed her hair as she gazed out at the horizon with a lazy expression, resting her hand on her cheek. He forgot what he was going to say next.

"Sometimes, when I'm feeling down or worried about something, I just come out here and look at it all," She sighed, figuring that Chat's line of vision was following hers. It wasn't. "Look at how, because of us, this city is safe. It reminds me that even though we still have a lot more to do that we've already managed to accomplish so much as Ladybug and Chat Noir, and that makes me feel a lot better!" She stood up turning to face him. Her smile was wiped off her face as though someone had rubbed their hand across her mouth when she noticed the way he was staring at her. Finally, she dared broach the subject. Her breath becoming shaky and uneven. "Why are you here, Chat?"

He swallowed, deciding to be completely honest, even though he felt like his muscles were going to shatter from the tension in them. "I wanted to see you."

"And it couldn't wait until tomorrow?" She tilted her head up as he stepped towards her.

"No," His voice was rougher, deeper. It sent a shiver straight through her. Marinette's mind flashed back to two weeks ago, when he'd held her so protectively, when his purrs had soothed her. A crazy thought entered her mind about making him purr in other ways. She leaned up to his face, standing on tip-toes.

"Why not?" She didn't even know what she was saying anymore. Their faces were so close; what little breath they had was shared between them. Marinette hoped he was feeling steadier then she was, she was ready to collapse at any moment.

"Because," He whispered "I-"

"MARINETTE!" Her mother called up to her and, for the second time that day, the pair scrambled away from each other. Lightning might as well have struck between them the mood had shifted so suddenly "DINNER TIME SWEETIE!"

Both of them were panting, trying to regain the breath they'd lost in the moment they'd just shared. It took Sabine calling up to Marinette again, this time in a slightly more worried tone, before Marinette snapped out of it.

"C-coming Mama!" She yelled back down through her balcony, unable to settle the tremor in her voice. She inhaled once more, deeply, and closed her eyes to calm herself. Wrapping her arms around her torso, she turned towards Chat with a guilty smile "well- I bess I getter bet bo-ing. I mean I guess I better get going."

Chat reached up and scratched the back of his head. Marinette felt something flutter within her at the familiar gesture, one that he shared both as Adrien and as Chat.

"Yes, absolutely. I wouldn't dream of depriving you of a meal, especially not when your parents are the finest bakers in all of Paris!" He walked up to her and reached out to place her hand in his, pulling it up to his lips to kiss it delicately. His eyes remained fixed on hers the whole time. All the breath Marinette had regained left her in one big rush. "Goodnight, Princess."

"Goodnight, Chat Noir," She rasped and only when he left did she manage to climb back down the ladder with shaking legs and quivering lips. Tikki rushed up to meet her.

"You can't tell me he doesn't have feelings for you after that!"

Marinette couldn't respond. She didn't think she'd ever be able to speak again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're getting into the rooooomance side of things now ;)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *waves* yo-hoo! I'm here with a new chapter and I love you all!
> 
> Hope you enjoy
> 
> Warning for bad language here- read the A/N at the end of the chapter for more info.

 

Chapter 12

The citizens of Paris were diverted from their usual day-to-day lives by the sounds of whooping and cheering. Looking up to the sky they smiled as they saw one of their beloved heroes, Chat Noir, bounding and leaping and spinning above them. Delight seemed to pour from his very soul, brighter than the sky above, and they understood why. It must have been hard for him, they thought. The rumours had been circulating for weeks, that Ladybug and Chat Noir had been separated by that last Akuma attack. What pain that must have brought. And yet they had found a way back to each other, had triumphed once more. But it wasn't just that which had people talking. No. Those interested enough in the affairs of Paris' superheroes had noticed the changes. Gossip blogs ran rampant, even the ever-popular Ladyblog had run stories, written post after post about how their body language on their normal patrols indicated a significant shift in their relationship. A shift that perhaps they weren't even aware of yet.

"Chat Noir's in a pretty good mood, hey Vert?" A policeman on patrol turned to his partner with a nudge. They watched the supposedly unlucky Cat do a flying leap from one side of the street to another with the most carefree laugh he'd ever heard.

"Oh shut up Butler," Vert snapped, still sore about missing his chance to meet the superheroes. His daughter still wasn't speaking to him because of it.

Chat Noir didn't hear a word any of them said, he was already four streets down. Though he was dashing across Parisian rooftops he felt as though he was walking on the moon, on Venus, amongst the stars themselves. He could have bent his legs and jumped straight to the next galaxy, he could do anything, _anything_ , if his Lady, his Princess kept looking at him the way she had just minutes ago. Plagg would tease and mock him relentlessly for days about it but he didn't care.

Because they'd almost _kissed_. Kissed! Chat laughed again as he grabbed onto a weather vane and span around on it, stopping from a moment to look back in the direction of Marinette's house. His heart refused to calm itself, and not just because of the air acrobatics. He remembered her blushing, the freckles of her face becoming blurry as their lips almost touched, the gasp when he'd kissed her hand. It all seemed like it hadn't happened- but it had! It really had! With another loud whoop he back flipped and set off once more, completely unaware that he was being followed…

Until the gun went off.

* * *

"So I joked to the guy that he'd ordered the cake last minute and if he didn't want to wait then he could ice the cake himself and you know what he said?" Marinette watched as Father recanted the day's events over dinner. Previously she'd always rolled her eyes at her father's stories but, since coming back home, she'd found that she enjoyed listening to them. Hearing Johnny's story, understanding Adrien's home life more, had made her realise how lucky she was to have her parents. The smells of the simple home cooked meal lingered in the air despite the fact the food had long since been devoured and their home felt warm and cosy.

"What Papa, what did he say?" She asked, trying with all her might to mask her dazed state. Although she had a new-found appreciation for her parents, this evening it was proving difficult to concentrate. For though her body was at the dinner table, her mind and heart were upstairs on the balcony, with her partner. The slightest breeze would send her floating back in time once more, to the moment they'd almost kissed. And it had been that. An almost kiss. She couldn't deny that any more than she could deny her despair at the word 'almost'.

What a difference ninety years and two weeks makes to a relationship.

"He said 'if you give me a discount I will!' so I thought challenge accepted! I let the fella sit there icing the cake and wouldn't you know he did such a good job himself that I gave him fifty percent off! We had a good laugh about it and he decided he wouldn't order a cake so last minute again," Tom chuckled, which Marinette supposed was her cue to respond in kind. She did so half-heartedly (her mind had been replaying Chat kissing her hand on repeat).

The sound of the bell interrupted them and they all glanced at each other curiously. It was the bell for the bakery.

"Ignore it," Sabine stated with a dismissive wave "they should be able to read the closed sign, or see that it's dark and there's nobody inside."

The bell rung several times more and Tom stood up with a sigh.

"There is a price to pay for being the best bakers in town dear," He winked at Sabine before wrapping his arm around Marinette and giving her a huge kiss on her cheek. Marinette squealed and laughed as his moustache tickled her. "See you in a few minutes' sweetie," And with that he disappeared to the bakery below.

After a few minutes of sitting in silence, Marinette's mother looked at her with a raised eyebrow "Marinette, dear is everything alright?"

"Hmm?" The young girl responded vaguely, snapping out of it when she noticed the suspicious look on her mother's face, "oh, yes, I'm fine why?"

"I only ask because your elbow is in the ketchup," Sabine's face was cool as stone but her eyes lit up in amusement as she watched her daughter leap backwards, grabbing some napkins and attempting to wipe the stain off of her jacket "we can talk about it whilst you help me clean up?"

Marinette groaned inwardly. Clean up? She didn't want to clean up, she wanted to go and talk to Tikki about everything that had just happened. She needed to talk to one of the few people who could possibly understand her situation.

Ok what she really needed was Chat to come back and finish that kiss but she was NOT going to go there with that thought. She was having trouble functioning enough as it was. But her mother was giving her the this-is-a-question-but-it's-really-an-order look so she resigned herself to the duties of washing up, and was just beginning to stack the dinner plates when Sabine looked at the clock above the sink with a frown.

"On second thought we can talk about it later, your father should be back by now," Sabine shook her head "Honestly, pushy customers are the worst part about this job. You make a start on those dishes and I'll finish up when I get back from helping your father, he really has trouble saying no to people,"

"Fine Mama, but could you sneak me one of those new cupcakes Papa's been working on?" if any time were time for a cupcake, it was in the midst of a full-blown boy crisis.

Her mother nodded as she followed her husband into the shop below their house and Marinette got started with scrubbing the plates, honestly relieved for the brief respite from the constant stares, but feeling guilty for thinking of that. Still it did give her a moment to consider things. How was she going to face Adrien tomorrow at school? What was he going to say to her before her mother had interrupted them? Why on Earth was he looking at her that way? What did that look in his eyes mean?

Her thoughts died violently at sound of smashing glass and her parent's screams.

* * *

Whoever had shot at him had missed.

"What the?!" Chat cried as he ducked for cover behind a chimney. Peering out at the alleyway below he noticed a man looking up at the rooftops, scanning the skies. Who was he? An Akuma victim? He didn't look like an Akuma victim. He looked, oddly enough, like a gangster. Wearing a trench coat, a shining grey revolver clutched in his large hands, the man's eyes searched and searched until they finally found their target. Him.

Chat jumped across to the other side of the alley as the man continued to shoot at him. But it seemed like he never held or shot a gun in his life. He was slow, the way he held the gun was awkward, and every shot he fired he staggered a little from the recoil. Using that to his advantage, Chat leapt down and whacked the gun out the man's hand with his baton whilst the man was still in mid-stagger. Spinning around he used his baton as a bar and pushed it against his would-be assassin's chest, forcing him into the wall.

"Who are you?" He growled "and why do you want to kill me?"

It was then he finally got to glance into the stranger's eyes. They were cold, grey and unfocussed, as though the man was in a state of sleep-walking. That didn't stop him struggling against Chat's hold with a furious grunt. But Chat wasn't budging. His mind raced. Was this stranger being controlled by an Akuma victim? Were there more of them? And if so where was the Akuma victim? Usually they showed themselves before anything else.

"Hey kid, don't worry I've got this," A low gravelly voice behind him attracted his attention and he turned, his eyes widening at the sight in front of him. His first thought was _oh god not another Copycat Akuma!_

Before he even knew what was happening, the doppelganger swung his own baton into the side of Trench Coat Man's head and the man fell to the ground, unconscious. The trench coat disappeared to reveal a business suit underneath. Chat could only gape as the other Chat Noir bent down, lifted the formerly possessed businessman up and moved him so that he was sitting upright in a more comfortable position, despite the new bruise forming on his forehead.

"W- who are YOU?!" Chat repeated but this time around it came out less threatening and more befuddled. The other Chat Noir turned to face him and Chat pointed his baton at him, conflicted. This Chat had helped him, and was clearly not a Copy Cat because he didn't even have a bell! Was he a cosplayer or something? He opened his mouth to ask the man as much but something caught his attention before he had the chance.

"Ahh did I miss it?" Chat froze. He knew that voice. Looking up he saw Ladybug swinging in to the scene with a pout of disappointment. Her polka-dotted flapper dress sparkled in the last light of the sun's rays as she went over to the passed-out businessman, and gave him a little nudge with her boot "no fair, I wanted to see his face when he saw ya!"

The baton slipped from Chat's hand and clattered to the ground with a loud echoing clang.

"MARY?!"

* * *

"Tikki spots on now!" Marinette yelled. Tikki didn't need telling twice. As soon as she'd transformed Ladybug practically threw herself out of the apartment and down the stairs. Her heart pounded in her throat, the echoes of her parent's screams played over and over again. She prayed whatever had happened to them wasn't severe, maybe it was nothing, maybe it was just an accident or a customer had gotten a bit too angry, maybe-

BANG!

Ladybug stopped. That was a gunshot. That was a sound of a gunshot she just heard. Now her mind was filled with a different image. Johnny. Johnny's face scrunched up in pain. Johnny's blood pouring from the wound in his shoulder. Johnny's eyes closing as he collapsed to the ground.

She couldn't find the strength to run. It was as though she was walking through glue. Everything tensed as the back door to the bakery loomed ever closer, whispering to her all the horrendous things she could discover behind it. She begged not to see blood. _Please no blood. Please no blood. Please no blood._ Anything else she could have pleaded for was unthinkable.

Her trembling hand reached out and gently pushed the door open.

The bakery was cold and dark, filled with the shadows of the approaching twilight. Aside from a smashed cabinet, there was no indication that anything had happened whatsoever. Her parents were nowhere to be seen. There was no blood.

But Jack Genovese was there. Standing in her parent's bakery.

" _Hello girlie,"_ He grinned and Marinette felt a wave of horror sweep over her, drowning her. His formerly tanned skin was now pale, the scars more pronounced than ever, his eye colour had changed to black and his sandy hair was white. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to reveal two sets of numbers on each forearm. On the left was the number _1927_ , on the right was the number _2016_. He didn't look older. He looked like an Akuma. She didn't think twice about it, only one thought consumed her.

" _Where. Are. My parents?"_ She demanded with more courage than she felt.

Jack shook his head, but there was a twisted smile on his face which terrified Marinette, made her miss the anger. Anger meant that things weren't going his way.

" _Now really where are your manners? Is that how you greet someone after all this time? If that's how you're gonna be I should just kill you now."_

" _I don't have time for your games Jack! Tell me where my parents are now!"_ She snapped, furious when all he did was laugh.

" _You may not have all the time girlie, but I do. I have all the time in the universe,"_ He lifted up his gun, which had now turned dark black in colour _"the easiest shot in the world! Can't kill people with it anymore but it can do so much better. I can control people with it, send them anywhere I want to OR go anywhere I want in time! I just pull the trigger and BAM; your parents go back to the dark ages! A pretty bad place to be, I've heard, especially if you're married to a Slant."_

Ladybug clenched her fists at the slur _"you're disgusting, and I'm done talking."_ She flicked her yo-yo out at him, sure that the Akuma was in the gun. She could figure out just how to destroy the gun later.

But Jack lifted the gun above his head and pulled the trigger. A purple light surround them as a portal shot open. A portal that looked just like the bakery. She didn't have a chance to react before he stepped through it and disappeared.

A body barrelled into her from behind and she went crashing to the ground. Jack's knees pressed painfully into her back and she grunted. Out of the corner of her eye she saw his arm snake around her neck and pull it up. Another tattoo had appeared, it too said 2016.

" _It's amazing what a few extra minutes can do!"_ He chucked and Marinette's eyes widened as she saw men enter the shop. Men in trench coats. Men with guns. Jack leaned in close and whispered in her ear _"you should be flattered girlie. I'm paying so much attention to you. I came all this way to let you know that, 'cause you ruined my life in my time, I'm destroying your life in yours. It's only fair right? I want you to die knowing that your parents are lost forever, that your own Cat Noir is dying in an alleyway somewhere with a few bullets in his back,"_

 _Chat, no_. Marinette kicked and gasped against him. She was Ladybug! She was strong! She should have been able to take him down right now. But the pressure on her spine was immense, it felt like it was going to snap any minute. The Akuma must have heightened everything, his thirst for blood, his strength, his cold resolve to do anything to gain power. She wanted, more than anything, to get up and find Chat. To prove Jack wrong. Chat was ok, he had to be!

" _Hey, shush, let me finish bitch!"_ Jack growled pushing down her spine to the point where she could no longer breathe. _"Just know that without you two, I'm gonna take this city as my own. You couldn't let me have the city that was owed me, so I'm takin' yours. You're gonna die knowing that Ladybug,"_

He stood up, kicking her in the head as he did so and Ladybug yelped, her vision blurry. The men in trench coats pointed their guns at her. She saw Jack Genovese leave the bakery, not even turning back to look at her.

"Take care of it," he ordered.

* * *

"Hey kiddo!" Mary chirped as Cat Noir, as Johnny, stood up. She all but skipped over to them both. Chat felt like he was going to have an aneurysm. He looked down and noticed the phone translating in her hand. When she caught sight of where he was looking, she chuckled "hope you don't mind but we stopped off at your house to find you, and I took this back when we noticed you weren't there."

"I just- what- what are you doing here?! Why are you- how are you?"

"So did you kiss your girl yet?" She interrupted, slipping her hand into Cat's. Cat looked at her with a frown whilst Chat turned red.

"Sweetheart. Priorities." Cat stated.

"Oh yeah, right, right, of course," Mary giggled, looking sheepish. She turned to Chat with a suddenly stern expression. A Ladybug expression. "We're not here to talk gal troubles unfortunately,"

"Then why are you?" Chat began but Johnny cut across him.

"Jack Genovese is an Akuma," He said bluntly and Chat once again dropped the baton he was holding "two weeks ago in our time he tried to take the Woolworth Building hostage but your Ladybug and I helped stop him. It's when I got shot. Unfortunately, Jack came to and saw Mary and I there."

Chat leaned against the wall, feeling weak. The sun finally set over the horizon and the alley faded into dark shadows. He thought of all the articles they'd tried to find, himself and Marinette, nothing had said anything about this.

"He found us out, but we were lucky." Mary continued more gently, and she went to stand by Chat's side as if to comfort him, "Nobody would listen to him, nobody would take him seriously. The failed hostage attempt completely ruined the rest of his lousy reputation. We tracked him down to the edge of town and I was all but ready to knock him sideways through to Sunday when he pulls out this Akuma and tells us he's going to make a fresh start in your time instead. We couldn't have that, so we sort of went along for the ride. Luckily he didn't notice us or we'd be screwed right now!"

"But then where is he right now? If he isn't with you?"

"Gave us the slip before we could recover from the time travel," Johnny explained, leaning down he clutched Adrien's arms. There was a look of worry and fear there which made Chat's blood run cold "but that's not the most important question right now. Kid you have to tell us, where is Marinette?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys in regards to what Jack said about Sabine- it was hard for me to write that but I did it to show just how racist, despicable and completely devoid of any redeeming qualities he is. I'm sorry if it offended anybody and please know that I would NEVER call anybody that ever myself. My characters do not reflect my own personal beliefs or opinions about people.
> 
> As a side I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :) Until the next time!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

He'd never run so fast in his entire life.

Despite his enhanced abilities, despite the super-human strength, speed and agility, Chat Noir's body wailed under the pressure he was putting on it. His lungs burned for air, his limbs screeched, his throat rasped. He didn't care. With every thundering step he took, his mind replayed the same name over again. _Marinette._ There was no time to think anything beyond that and the danger she could be in, not a moment to muse on how suddenly the evening's mood had shifted, not a second to consider the possibility that Jack Genovese could get to her before he could. Because he'd promised her he'd never repeat the mistakes he made with Time Twister, never fail as her partner again. He wasn't about to break that promise.

He finally came to the road where the Dupain-Cheng bakery resided, Mary and Johnny tailing close behind. Twilight had fallen. The sky was dark blue and taciturn. Street lamps bathed everything in an eerie white glow as the three hurried to the bakery entrance. Chat could hear people running into their homes, screaming in fright, followed by the sounds of more gunshots. Sheer survival instinct alone diverted his attention from getting across the road to where the bakery was, to where Marinette was, and he threw himself behind a car. Peering around the shelter of the bonnet, Chat saw a group of ten thugs, all similarly dressed to Trench Coat Man, with a variety of weapons ranging from tommy guns to baseball bats with nails sticking out of them. They were approaching fast.

"We'll take care of 'em!" Cat yelled out to him, as he and Mary rushed into the fray, yo-yo and baton raised and ready "just go get her!"

Chat bolted from his shelter. Sprinting closer and closer to the bakery he noticed, with horror, that there were people inside. Men in trench coats. He could see them point their guns at something on the ground, could see a yo-yo fly up into the air. Chat ran faster, he had to get there in time, he had to-

BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG

"NO!" Chat heard himself scream as he burst through the door, almost tripping over several men who were now trench coat-less, on the ground and unconscious "LADYBUG!"

"CHAT LOOK OUT!"

Chat turned just in time to see the tommy gun point at him. Without thinking he raised the baton and hit it with all the force he could muster. The gun tore out of the man's hand and skittered across the floor. Ladybug threw her yo-yo at Chat's assailant, wrapping it around his legs and tugging so hard that the man flew up and smashed into the wall above the cash register. He proceeded to drop to the ground with a heavy thud and didn't get back up again.

All was quiet, the only sounds left in the bakery were Chat and Ladybug's heavy breaths. The superhero duo rushed towards each other, both of them looking the other over for any signs of wounds and heaving separate sighs of relief when they could see none.

"Chat, Jack Genovese, he's here, he's an Akuma and he's controlling people!" Ladybug cried brushing the loose strands of hair from her eyes so that she could so him more clearly.

"I know," Chat replied gravely. She didn't consider how he knew, for Jack's words ran like poison through her mind and she was terrified.

' _Cause you ruined my life in my time, I'm destroying your life in yours._

"Chat," Her voice wobbled and suddenly she didn't feel like Ladybug, she felt like a scared child. The scent of her father's new cupcakes lingered in the air, making her feel vulnerable and lost. She wrapped her arms around herself "he took my parents, he sent them back to the dark ages. He blames me for everything, he wants to destroy everything I love,"

Chat looked in her eyes and hesitantly moved towards her, pulling her into a gentle hug. Marinette stepped into his embrace and that was all he needed to hold her more tightly, resting his chin against her warm hair. Taking in a shaky breath he glanced about the place. He'd been here more times in the past few weeks than he had been in his own house and her parents had been nothing but friendly and kind. So very kind. He wasn't about to lose a home when he finally felt like he'd gotten one again. He wasn't about to let the girl he loved feel the pain he felt when he lost his mother. Not when he could do something about it.

"We'll get them back," He whispered with fierce determination. "We got you back didn't we? We can save them."

"But, they can't defend themselves in the meantime. They don't have any powers," Ladybug shivered, moving further into Chat's chest and he felt a wave of sympathy come over him. He knew exactly what she was going through, he'd experienced those doubts himself when he first realised she was missing.

"I don't know about that, they made you after all," He responded with finality, pulling away to look into her eyes. Marinette's heart clenched at the perfect sincerity of his words, how he said them as easily as reading a letter. "Plus, they have each other. They'll be ok Ladybug, I'm sure of it."

Marinette closed her eyes, never being so relieved that Jack had been wrong, that Chat was living and breathing and holding her right now. She was in awe of him, this amazing boy before her; the things he said and did, all so confusing and beautiful yet so incredibly selfless. Chat began to purr once more and she found herself wondering; how was it possible his heart was still so pure after everything he'd had to endure? How was it possible that he could be so brave and strong? How was it possible that she could love him so much?

Because she did love him, she realised with a rush that sent her eyes fluttering open and set her blood on fire, yet at the same time made her perfectly calm. She loved Adrien Agreste, she loved Chat Noir, and the thought wasn't something that sent her spiralling into her chaos. Her mind and soul were not screaming in shock and wonder. She simply hugged him tighter, the corners of her mouth turned up ever so slightly. Yes. This was it. This was how it was supposed to be. She was always supposed to love him. It was written in her, engraved in her bones, coded alongside her DNA. And rather than feeling as though she'd opened Pandora's box, it felt instead like returning to a book she'd skim-read, and was now ready to get lost in.

Which made what she was about to say that much more heart breaking.

"Chat," She murmured against him "you need to run."

Chat paused. His purring stopped. He let the words sink in, playing through his head a few times to make sure he had heard them right. When there could be no denying what she'd said, he stepped away from their embrace. His eyes were wide, his fists clenched.

"What?" He choked.

Ladybug worried at her lip, refusing to meet his eyes. She had to be brave and say what was needed or he'd convince her otherwise, and she couldn't bear to think of the consequences of that.

"Jack Genovese wants revenge on me, he blames me for everything that's happened. He's already taken my parents and he wants to kill you too. I- I can handle this fight on my own I'm sure," She wasn't sure, but she knew for certain that she couldn't put his life at risk "if you fight with me he'll target you, try to hurt you, he'll try to kill you, he'll-"

"Ladybug," He'd never interrupted her before. He'd never used that tone with her before. She hadn't been able to meet his eyes but now she looked up and saw the thunder and the panic in them. Her heart quickened. With dismay she realised he wasn't going to be talked down easily. "You can't ever ask that of me. Ever."

"Chat this is serious!" She cried, her frustrations growing. He just didn't get it! "I know you're my partner and you're so strong and you're amazing. I'm not asking you to do this because I think you're weak and you know that! I'm asking you to do this because there's a chance, however slim, that this might be our last fight. What if something happens to you like it did with Johnny?! It'll be my fault because Jack is deliberately going after people I lo- people I care about!"

Chat stepped further away, as if to shield himself from her words. He shook his head.

"What if something happens to me? What if something happens to you?!" He yelped, his hand reached up to his chest, his fingers buried into his suit as if they could reach in and calm his insides. "You think I'll be able to accept it if Jack Genovese kills you and I wasn't there to stand between you and death? I swore to you that I'd never leave you alone ever again and I'm sticking to that promise!"

"Some promises have to be broken," She whispered feeling herself shatter at the pain in Chat's demeanour. Why couldn't he just leave, Marinette thought scrunching up her face and doing everything in her power not to shed unwelcome tears, why couldn't he understand how grave the situation was?

"Not this one!" He was shaking his head again, leaning towards her without stepping closer "NEVER this one!"

"Chat-"

"Ladybug-"

"I CAN'T LOSE YOU!"

They'd both yelled it, and the words hung in the air. The silence that followed roared like a towering inferno as they gaped at each other, completely flabbergasted, eyes wide, breath heavy.

And there, in a half-destroyed bakery with several men passed out around them, the cold evening air whiling through the shattered windows howling like a lonely wolf, something inside them clicked. Something they both instantly understood and yet felt they'd always known.

Ladybug moved first, Chat mere seconds later. They finally closed the gap between them, their bodies slammed together as they frantically wrapped themselves around each other. Chat's arms pulled Ladybug's waist into him, Ladybug's snaked around his shoulders as their lips met in a desperate kiss. A kiss that spoke the words they could not say. Ladybug leapt up into his arms. Chat caught her, stopping only to breathe before placing her on the counter, planting delicate butterfly kisses across the freckles her mask didn't cover, wanting to kiss every single one of them, for when he did time stopped and they were here, safe in each other's embrace. _Stay, stay, stay with me_ , Adrien said with every caress of his lips. Marinette panted and gasped in response, turning his face towards her she pulled him away to stroke his mask, reaching to the boy underneath it, pouring all the love and tenderness she felt into her eyes before they closed and she met his mouth again in a much deeper kiss. She slid off of the counter. Her feet dangled inches from of the ground as Chat held her up and she took the opportunity to run her hands through his hair, surprised at how soft it was, earning a gentle, lazy purr from him. She felt herself melt, not wanting to ever let him go.

Chat broke the kiss to rest his forehead on hers, the warmth between them was a shield to everything and Marinette sighed, closing her eyes once more.

"Whether it's a hundred minutes," Her partner began, his breath ragged but his words heavy and laden with emotion "or a hundred years I will be there for you until my last moments on this Earth,"

Marinette's eyes remained closed, she couldn't consider opening them and risk the floodgates that would fall. Still, she nodded against him, swallowing to try and find her voice.

"Let's- let's make it a hundred years Kitty," She responded and through the strength of her vow alone she was able to look into his eyes, praying that he could understand the meaning behind her words. His smile seemed to be born from his soul and she fell even more in love with him.

"As you wish, my Lady," He bowed as much as he could and made to kiss her again when a giant thud interrupted them. They turned to see the body of a henchman ricochet off a car roof and tumble to the ground. They remembered their situation and stepped away from each other as reluctant as they were sheepish.

"Not now," Chat stated, panting as though to calm his racing blood.

"Not now," Ladybug replied, placing her hand on his chest.

Chat Noir looked down for a moment, as if pondering something. Ladybug was just about to ask what he was thinking when he reached up to hold the hand she had placed against him. Tilting his head in a shy manner, he looked her in the eye with endearing hopefulness. "Later?"

Ladybug laughed and slipped out of his grip. Her hips sashayed as she sauntered past him, twisting her head around to wink at her companion.

"Later," She confirmed and pushed the door open, stepping out into the fight. Chat followed behind her, grinning from ear to ear. They pulled out their baton and yo-yo, ready to fend off any more thugs…

Only to discover they'd all been taken care of.

"Hah? Who did all of this?" Ladybug stared, bewildered at the sight before her and Chat slapped himself on the forehead.

"Umm…I'm sorry my Lady but I kind of forgot to mention something important," he chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head, already missing the feeling of her hands being there. She turned to him with a confused frown and he hastened to explain "you see, Jack Genovese wasn't the only one who came to the future,"

He didn't get to explain further, a thug appeared from around the corner, running at them ferociously. Brandishing a lead pipe the mind-controlled thug made towards them and the pair stood ready to counter-attack but they never got the chance. A yo-yo and a baton came flying from around the corner, simultaneously smacking the thug in the head and knocking him senseless. Ladybug's jaw dropped to the floor as Johnny and Mary stepped out from around the corner wearing equally triumphant smiles from behind their masks.

"C-Cat?!" She cried as the pair retrieved their weapons. Johnny stood up first, meeting Marinette's shocked expression with a gentle look. Mary and Chat grinned at each other, tilting their heads in acknowledgment. Suddenly Chat remembered her earlier question, and almost laughed when he pictured her reaction to the fact that he'd finally 'kissed his girl'. He couldn't quite believe it himself.

" _Hello Miss,"_ Cat nodded toward Marinette _"good to see that you're alrig- OOF!"_ Cat stumbled backwards a little, winded as Marinette had thrown herself straight at him, wrapping her arms around his torso and clinging to him like a child would cling to a lost treasure. He looked up at Mary, his eyes wide in panic, the look in them screamed _she's hugging me, what do I do?!_ Mary gestured encouragingly and he turned back towards Marinette, giving her a gentle pat on the back _"ah, Miss no need to fret, I told ya I'd be alright,"_

Chat couldn't understand what they were saying, but felt his spirits raise at the comfort Johnny seemed to give her. He knew that Marinette had continued to worry about Johnny, even though they knew he would be ok, and could tell that she felt responsible for him getting shot. It was good that she had this undeniable proof right in front of her.

" _Are you sure?"_ Marinette stepped out of the hug she'd given him and started scanning his shoulder for any sign that it was injured, _"what about the doctor? What did he say? Were there really stitches? Plagg told us there were stitch…es…."_ She trailed off, her eyes finally coming to rest on Mary's, and her heart stopped. This was Johnny's true partner, his wife, the woman he'd spoken so highly of, and it was because of _her_ that Mary had almost lost him. What was the older Ladybug going to say or do, now that she was finally face to face with the girl who Johnny had gotten shot in order to protect?

Chat watched his Lady suddenly get very quiet, her lips grew thin and she clutched one of her arms, avoiding everybody's gaze. He stepped towards her, ready to comfort, but was beaten by Mary, who reached out to put one of her hands on Marinette's shoulders, the other hand put the phone up to her face so that she could translate her words.

"So you're the gal that went to fight Jack Genovese with my husband?"

Ladybug nodded, bracing herself for the screams, the insults, the cursing. Instead she was surprised when Mary wrapped her arms around her gently, and even more shocked by her next words.

"Thank you _,"_ Mary smiled, not using the translation app for her first round of thanks, as though she felt it meant more to have the French words come straight from her mouth, "thank you. If you weren't there he would'a been all by himself and heaven only knows what could have happened then," She pulled away from the embrace and lightly punched Marinette's arm "you're a doll!"

"So here we are, the four of us together, ready to stop the evil time travelling wannabe gangster lord," Chat beamed, his confidence growing back to normal Chat-Noir levels, "before he turns Paris into Gangs of New York anyway."

"I think he's beginning to already," Cat countered staring across the street. The other three turned to see where he was staring. A huge crowd of mind-controlled minions were coming their way. There had to be at least fifty approaching them slowly, menacingly, concentrated on one single shared goal, destroy anything that could threaten their master's reign.

So the four superheroes lined up together, facing the crowd of enemies. Cat swung his baton over his shoulder, Chat held his own like a sword ready to parry at any moment. The Ladybug's stood shoulder to shoulder, staring down the thugs with matching glares. All of them knew that this was the start of the final showdown. They were staring into the eye of the storm, down the barrel of the gun.

And once they took this lot down, Jack Genovese would be next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaaay kissing! :D


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Cat stepped towards the crowd of thugs first, Mary followed close behind. She turned back towards the younger duo with a cheeky grin and a little salute.

"Don't worry kids, the grown-ups will handle this one,"

Then they were off, tearing into the thugs like two ferocious wolves. Ladybug and Chat could only stare in awe as the two knocked down thug after thug, cleverly avoiding all the gunshots and swings from various projectiles. Mary wrapped her yo-yo around one thug's neck and yanked him backwards towards her, he went soaring and only stopped when his spine came into contact with her heel. With an Amazonian-like battle cry, the older Ladybug kicked him with all the strength she had and he went flying the other way, only to come straight into contact with Cat's baton and ricochet into the crowd, taking about five more thugs down with him as he finally came to the end of his flight. The pair didn't stop for one second to triumphantly make any puns, or witty remarks. As soon as those thugs were taken down Mary made a beeline for Cat, spinning her yo-yo, rapidly changing the hand she wielded it in as she knocked down various men either side of her with it. When she reached Cat, she leapt. Cat held out his hands for her and she used them as a spring board for an airborne attack whilst Cat did a running slide below her, using his baton to trip any of the thugs Mary had missed.

"Woah," Chat gaped "they're savage."

"Uh-huh," Ladybug agreed, nodding absently as she watched Cat stamp on one thug's stomach "good thing the Miraculous Ladybug will heal the thugs."

After a short pause, interspersed with random thug screams, Chat leaned over to Ladybug with a curious eyebrow raise.

"We're not going to let them have all the fun are we?"

Ladybug grinned at his question, pulling out her yo-yo and flicking her hair confidently "let's show them what these 'kids' can do."

"With pleasure," Chat smirked, flexing his clawed fingers.

The pair ran headlong into the crowd, punching and kicking, whacking and dodging. When one thug pointed a gun at him, Chat began to duck out of the way but stopped when Ladybug leapt in front of him. For one heart stopping moment his mind repeated the scene back in the rain with Time Twister. His eyes widened and he was about to rush towards her when she began to spin her yo-yo. The gun fired and the bullets dissolved the second they hit the light. Ladybug snapped her yo-yo back and used the thug's baffled state to her advantage, knocking him out with a swift roundhouse kick.

Chat's eyes bulged when his Lady turned to him with a smirk to match his previous one. He couldn't stay that way for long, as more enemies advanced to take their fallen comrades place.

"Very impressive! When did you learn that clever manoeuvre my Lady?" He called out as he fought back another thug.

"Ninety years ago!" She yelled back and he laughed as he leapt into a sea of trench coats, meeting up with Cat. Their eyes met for a second before the pair stood back-to back.

"You're a good fighter kid," Cat acknowledged as he rammed his baton into the side of one thug. Chat chest swelled at his older counterpart's praise.

"Yeah I'm a knock-out in more ways than one!" Chat shot back as he used his own baton to parry the attack of a man with a baseball bat, taking him out with a front-snap kick as soon as he'd disarmed him.

Cat stopped fighting, turning around to face Chat with a strange look.

"Ignore him! He always does that!" Ladybug cried as she threw Mary her yo-yo and, as if they'd always fought together, Mary caught it and used it to double wield against the crowd that had suddenly surrounded her "you get used to it!"

" _WOOOOO! I'M TEARIN' THROUGH THESE FELLAS LIKE A SINNER IN A SPEAKEASY!"_ Mary whooped from behind them, laughing as she took down fifteen thugs now that she had double the weapons, stopping only to throw the yo-yo back to Marinette. _"Thanks doll!"_

"Trust me Miss, ya don't ever get used to it!" Cat smiled, the tips of his pointed canines showing, as he put away his baton, instead choosing to use his feet and fists to finish the fight "but that's part of the fun!"

It didn't take long to finish the fight; they were only battling confused mind-controlled people after all. Still, the foursome stared victoriously at the scene of scattered bodies around them, all of the trench coats disappearing to reveal the now unconscious people underneath. Most seemed to be men in business suits, leading them to believe that Jack had attacked those in the city who wielded the most power. Marinette was sure she spotted a few people who worked with Mayor Bourgeois, but was relieved to find she couldn't spot the man himself. Together, the four of them picked up the people on the streets and moved them to the park opposite Marinette's house, it was out of the way of the road, and Chat called the local hospital to come out and check them over. They knew they'd not done any serious damage to them, and the Miraculous Ladybug would heal them anyway, but it still gave them all a sense of relief to know that the poor unsuspecting citizens would be looked after should any of them wake up.

After that had been taken care of Marinette suggested they go back to her house and try and come up with a plan of attack.

So there they were, four superheroes crowded in the apartment above a humble (if slightly destroyed) bakery. Ladybug hurried upstairs to check her phone and noted the several missed calls from Alya. Panicking, the young girl frantically rang her best friend whilst Mary showed Johnny the television and Chat watched her with an equally worried expression.

At last Alya answered.

"GIRL! Have you seen the news?" Her best friends voice seemed to rise several octaves in excitement and Marinette held the phone away from her ears, suddenly realising that Alya had no idea she was speaking to her superhero idol. It was a strange thought.

"N-no Alya! What's going on? Is everything ok?" She tentatively replied, being somewhat coy as she motioned to Chat to turn on the T.V. A scene of two fighter jets disappearing into a purple time-portal appeared on screen and Ladybug nearly dropped the phone.

"I'm fine, was just updating the Ladyblog! But no didn't you hear? There's a new Akuma and he's taking over the city! He's holed himself up in City Hall and is saying the craziest stuff!"

"Like what?" Marinette asked but she didn't hear Alya's answer, for she was too distracted by what she saw on the screen in front of her. "Alya I'll call you back."

Jack Genovese was on the screen, a reporter by his side. She was visibly shaking as he had his gun pointed straight at her, a wicked smile crossed his face.

"T-this is Metro News Nightly," the news lady stammered "we're l-live at the scene of City Hall, where an A-akuma- I mean Mr. Genovese" she stumbled to correct herself as Jack shoved his gun closer and his eyes flashed angrily "has an important announcement to make."

Jack pushed her aside roughly, shooting open a portal and kicking the reporter through it. They were only just able to hear the reporters scream before the portal collapsed in on itself. Ladybug (Mary) stood up from her spot on the sofa and began screaming obscenities at Jack, Cat scowled, his fists clenched. Marinette and Chat met each other with equally concerned expressions. It was the first time Adrien had seen Jack Genovese, and his heart squeezed when he realised Marinette had had to face this monster all alone. He wanted very much to hold her, but recognised that now was not the best time. Later.

" _Listen up Paris, you see that? That's the least of what I can do to anyone who crosses me. And if you want proof get this, your Ladybug and Cat Noir are dead. You have no-one here to protect you, anyone that crosses me either gets the goon treatment, or they get sent back in time. Even your own military couldn't get to me as I'm sure you saw! But I'm not here to make no wars. What I want is simple. I'm hostin' a shin-dig right here, tonight for the richest people of this city. Pledge your allegiance to me, give me power and I'll let you live like Kings amongst men. Try to fight me and, well you've seen what I can do. Oh and before you think about trying anything, this place is more guarded than The White House. You will be searched for any weapons and if you're found with them, you'll be killed with them. That's the only warning I'm gonna give. Now smile! You're in for a great time, it's gonna be the party of the century…if you do what I say."_

Ladybug turned off the T.V and stood facing the other three. They all looked at each other in silence. Chat took a little longer, for he'd borrowed back the translation app to use so he could understand Jack's words.

"So what do we do?" Cat broke the silence "can't exactly go in their guns blazing,"

"Or claws scratching," Chat agreed flopping backwards with a worried sigh.

"We don't have to," Mary countered, having snatched back the phone, she began staring outside the window with a thoughtful expression, though she couldn't fight the smile forming on her lips. She turned to face Cat, placing her hands on her hips "Come on honey, it's about time we went to a party! We haven't been to one in almost ninety years! We're loooong overdue."

"A stealth mission…" Marinette smirked, her eyes shining in excitement.

"Like Assassins Creed! But with less stabbing. And not like Unity, that insult to our city!" Chat countered, flipping over the sofa to grab her hands eagerly, he was almost vibrating in elation and Ladybug couldn't help squeezing his hands in response even as she rolled her eyes. He really was adorable.

"Hey I ain't takin' no assassin's creed!" Cat replied and Ladybug fought not to burst out laughing at how out of place he seemed in this time. Especially considering she'd been in the same position just weeks previously. How the time-tables had turned "but you're right, in terms of safety, it would be the best way forward. The good ol' element of surprise. Especially considering he thinks you're both dead and doesn't know Mary and I are here. He'll never see it comin' and when he does, it'll be too late."

"It's also safest considering you want to make sure you get back in one piece; you know for Marian's sake," Ladybug said gently, looking at their two older counterparts.

Mary and Johnny gave her blank stares; Mary shook the phone to make sure it translated right.

"Who?" They both responded, one in French, one in English.

Chat gawked at them, his mouth hung open whilst Ladybug felt a sense of disbelieving shock rush through her "w-wait, how long did you say it's been since you went back to your time, Mary?" Chat choked.

"About two weeks, why? What does that have to do with some broad called Marian?" Mary frowned.

"SOME BROAD CALLED- BUT YOU JUST- I- CATBUG!" Adrien screeched in a very un-Chat Noir-like way and Marinette put a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't think they know Chat," She said gently, trying to calm her partner down. He turned to her, his eyes wide in panic.

"Know what Miss?" Cat responded, looking at Chat as though he was a frightened pigeon dressed like a particularly twitchy mime.

"What we're trying to say is-" Ladybug began to explain but she wasn't quite able to finish her sentence.

"YOU'RE PREGNANT!" Adrien yelled at Mary.

It was Cat's turn to drop _his_ baton. Mary followed seconds later, except it was the phone which clattered to the floor. Ladybug turned to Chat with a raised eyebrow.

"Subtle." She said flatly "really subtle."

Chat Noir had the decency to wilt with a very guilty blush "sorry, kind of panicked there,"

Cat Noir turned to his wife with an expression that made shock look mildly startled. Swallowing, and cautiously stepping over to Mary, he looked at her like a little boy holding his heart out on a silver platter "Mary?"

Mary's eyes were wide and unblinking; she was counting on her fingers.

" _Holy shit,"_ she whispered, before looking up at her husband with an expression that confirmed Chat's words _"Johnny…"_

Chat wasn't sure who moved first, all he saw was the pair rush towards each other, kissing as if they'd seen each other for the first time in an eternity. Not wanting to disturb them during this very private moment, he turned to Marinette, who gazed at him with a pink blush and an unreadable expression. He wondered if she were hoping the same thing, that they might be seeing what the future could hold for them (oddly enough by witnessing it through past versions of themselves- though they do say history repeats itself).

" _Thank you,"_ Johnny was whispering to Mary and Marinette turned to watch them, a lump rose in her throat. Chat himself was feeling proud that they'd help make this happen, that if time had remained unchanged then this would have never happened. _"Thank you sweetheart, thank you, thank you,"_

" _For what you silly cat?"_ Mary whispered back as she pressed her forehead against her husbands (having to stand on her toes to do so).

" _Giving me a family,"_ he replied, rubbing his nose against hers. Mary snorted.

" _Uh sweetheart we were both there_ ," she chuckled " _I know my name is Mary, but I ain't no virgin, as you well know!"_

Marinette couldn't help it, she burst out laughing, as did Cat. He leaned back, placing his hand on Mary's stomach and faced a very confused Chat Noir and a very amused Ladybug with the biggest smile Marinette had ever seen.

"Ok so, stealth mission it is, gotta think of the little, what did ya say she was called kid?"

"Catbug," Chat swallowed and bit his lip apprehensively "and shouldn't you- I don't know-shouldn't you try to convince Mary to stay here?"

"Hey if you wanna do that be my guest kid, it was nice knowin' ya!" Cat giggled, actually giggled.

"What are we talkin' about?" Mary responded, having retrieved her phone.

"Nothing!" Chat hastened to reply "j-just…how we're going to sneak into the party."

Ladybug thought for a moment (trying to wipe the smile off her face at the expense of her partner's discomfort). "Well Mary and I can use some of the dresses I have, and you could go with Johnny back to your place? I'm sure your dad has some suits that'll fit Johnny right? He's not in town so it's not like he'll notice! Then you can meet us back and we can get to the party together."

Chat grinned. "Clever and slightly naughty, I'm very much impressed my Lady."

"There's just one problem," Cat responded "how are we gonna get to the party inconspicuously?"

A silence settled on the four as they pondered the answer to a very serious question. Henchmen would be all over the city for miles around, they couldn't risk leaping across buildings as superheroes, and transforming back into civilians once they got close to the building. There were four of them now, two who didn't even know the city, so it's not like they could be very sneaky, especially considering they had no clue where Jack's goons could be.

But suddenly, Chat remembered a conversation. A conversation he'd had in this very apartment, with Marinette's father, just a few weeks ago…

' _You need a ride to the final battle, you can take my car,'_

"Hey guys," Chat said, stroking his chin whilst drawing the attention of his companions "I have an idea…"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

It occurred to Adrien that, since becoming Chat Noir, he'd entered his room through the window more times than he'd entered through the door. Honestly, when he'd first taken up the role of half of Paris' superhero duo, he thought his life couldn't get any stranger.

Turns out he was pretty darn wrong about that.

"Nice place ya got here," Johnny whistled as the pair de-transformed.

"Heh, yeah I guess," Adrien replied, a little unsure of himself now that his mask was gone. They motioned for their respective Plagg's to hide in their jackets or pockets. Back at the bakery they'd already discussed keeping the past-present Kwami's apart for fear it could hurt them in some way, after all just thinking of the past made present day Plagg and Tikki dizzy, and they needed them all to be fighting fit for the night ahead.

When Adrien looked up from adjusting his Plagg-festooned jacket, he noticed Johnny was staring about the room in a similar fashion to the way Mary had, observing his games with a quizzical expression before his eyes came to rest on Adrien's bed. For some strange reason, this made the blonde teen very nervous and he gulped.

"Oh, Mary's hair clip. She's been looking for that," Johnny stated, strolling closer to the bed and looking at the small hairclip on the bedside table. Adrien had been confused about what to do when he'd found it. In the end he'd decided it would be a bit too weird and suspicious if he tracked down her descendants and gave it to them, but it seemed sad to throw it away. So he'd decided to keep the hairclip to remind him of his friend. His intentions in keeping it were completely innocent, his heart belonged to Marinette after all, yet Adrien felt a displaced sense of guilt arising with every step Johnny took towards the table. The temperature in his room seemed to elevate and he gulped "mind if I grab it?"

Adrien nodded dumbly, waiting for Johnny to pick it up before he finally snapped.

"We didn't share a bed," he mumbled feebly.

Johnny glanced back over to him, his forehead wrinkling in a frown "huh?"

Adrien shuffled from foot to foot, scratching the back of his head "Mary and I, she stayed the night and, well I'm a gentleman and so I gave her my bed. I slept on the sofa over there," He gestured to aforementioned sofa, it seemed to mock him in response.

After a brief pause, Johnny spoke "are you tryin' to tell me you didn't sleep with my wife?" There was a slightly amused tilt to his voice and when Adrien nodded again, several times in succession with a red face and worried gestures, he laughed. Still chuckling, he wandered up to Adrien and ruffled the blonde's hair "you're alright kid. I'm pretty damn sure the baby is mine."

"Uhh thanks?" Adrien replied but smiled despite the confusion. He felt better knowing Johnny didn't dislike him. It was as if he was getting approval from a great teacher, or a mentor, or a…no he wasn't going to go down that line of thinking.

His house was eerily quiet. The high ceilings, cold white walls and rug-less floors seemed as though they were going to reveal Adrien's secrets at any moment. He feared they'd be caught and it would be all over. Adrien shook his head to get rid of those paranoid thoughts, they were counter-pawductive.

When they reached his father's bedroom Johnny whistled again. Adrien couldn't blame him; it _was_ something to behold. The room stood over two floors, had its own walk in wardrobe, a super computer with the latest tablets for designing, a raised platform where the grey king sized bed reigned and several bookcases filled with priceless heirlooms, gifts from famous people and even the occasional book. Adrien hated it. About a year after his mother went missing, his father had moved out of the room they'd shared into this one and, despite the fact that it was adorned with all the most expensive furnishings, it had always looked like a show-room. Like something from a catalogue. Adrien had only been there a handful of times and never for too long.

"So yeah my dad's closet is in there, the suits are in the cupboard on the left I think and the ties are on the revolving tie rack," Adrien said as he pushed the door open into the crisp, perfectly white closet. It always reminded him of a spaceship.

As Johnny was rummaging around, trying to find a suit, Adrien stood guard at the closet door and surveyed the room once more. His eyes came to rest on a bookcase opposite. When something very unusual caught his attention, he gaped, his shoulders raised as he inhaled sharply. How had he not seen it before?

It was a simple photograph, but it spoke more words than his father ever did. A family portrait. From back when he still felt he had a family. They were happy; he was smiling, his mother was smiling, even his father was smiling. Adrien realised he couldn't remember the last time his father smiled. Blinking back the tears, he silently chided himself. It wasn't the time to be thinking such things.

His phone pinged and when he reached for it, he found Mary was texting him just as Johnny walked out of the closet. The Broadway star was wearing a fitted grey suit, an ice blue shirt and a navy tie. Adrien hoped he could grow up to look even half as suave as Johnny did at that moment. The phone pinged again and he distracted himself from his twinge of awe by translating both of Mary's messages.

' _THIS GIRL IS ADORABLE! I love her!'_

' _Seriously if you don't kiss Marinette soon I will! You really want a pregnant lady kissing your girl? You really want to explain that to my husband?'_

Adrien had to scrunch his face in a very un-model-like manner to stop himself laughing, and was just about to text her back when he heard a voice outside. All the particles in his body froze solid at once as his eyes snapped up to the door in utter horror.

"Adrien?"

Without thinking he span on his heel and kicked Johnny back into the closet, slamming the door shut just as his father's assistant came strolling through the door, the clacking of her heels echoing an accusatory tone.

"H-hey Nathalie!" Adrien waved trying not to look guilty.

Nathalie stared at him.

"What are you doing in here?"

"I- I was…looking. For a shirt. I wanted to wear it for school tomorrow but I couldn't find it. I was just checking my dad's closet in case it got mixed up with his stuff," Adrien was surprised at his own quick thinking, he seemed to be getting better at lying to people the longer he lived his double life. He didn't know what to make of that. Imagining himself at a photo-shoot, he kept his face as neutral as possible, hoping that it would work and that Nathalie hadn't been able to hear the nervousness in his voice.

Nathalie frowned and for one horrendous moment, it seemed like she was going to open the closet door. Instead she sighed and shook her head.

"Ok, well be quick about it. I'm sure your father would prefer it if you didn't come in here without permission," She replied and Adrien had to concentrate all his willpower on maintaining his model-face (his whole body wanted to sag in relief). Nathalie headed out the door, mercifully closing it behind her.

When Adrien was sure she'd gone, he threw open the closet with frantic limbs.

"Sorry!" He whispered at Johnny, who now looked slightly dishevelled and completely irked.

Fixing his skewed tie, the older superhero raised an eyebrow at him.

"Was the kick _really_ necessary?"

* * *

" _Nah this isn't gonna work,"_

Marinette looked up from her swivel chair as Mary twirled in the latest dress the young fashion designer had made. It was a long lilac princesse-style dress with a sheer queen Anne neckline. The fabric floated down past the knees, fading into a darker shade of purple. Marinette had been especially proud of it when she'd made it, but was now feeling rather crushed by Mary's words.

" _W-what's wrong with it? Is it bad?"_

Mary twisted around from looking in Marinette's mirror and stared at the young teen with a slack jaw.

" _Are you kidding me? This is gorgeous! And you made it yourself too! You've got a real talent doll!"_ Mary chuckled _"it's just these are the issue"_ she gestured to her chest _"they're squished in, I guess my breasts grew and I didn't realise! All part and parcel of carrying a baby I suppose. Got anything a bit looser up top?"_

Almost immediately Marinette fumbled around trying to find something to match Mary's request. After a brief silence she found herself blurting out the question she'd tried to prevent herself from asking for fear of sounding ridiculous.

" _How are you able to talk like that? So confidently, and, you know just casually mentioning your…well...you know,"_ Marinette didn't look Mary in the eye as she handed her an empire-waist salmon gown with a cowl neckline, a dress she'd made for a school project and gotten an A+ for.

" _My breasts?"_ Mary's tone was both teasing and encouraging. Marinette bobbed her head in confirmation _. "Well, you know, when your own parents call you a stage whore and don't even bother looking for you when you run away from home aged fourteen, you come to realise that if the people who made you don't give a shit about you, then why worry about anybody's opinion? I am who I am, and if you can't accept me for that, then oh well."_

" _You ran away from home?"_ Marinette all but cried as she looked for her own dress to wear, pulling out her twin tails and letting her hair fall into waves which lightly brushed her shoulders _"but you were so young,"_

" _It was the best, and stupidest thing I've ever done,"_ Mary replied as she changed dresses, her voice becoming fainter as memories took hold _"but I wanted to be an actress so badly, and my parents didn't approve so they started keepin' me on a leash and makin' that leash tighter and tighter. In the end I realised I had nothin' left. Johnny had vanished from my life at that point. I was so lonely and miserable, I just snapped in the end. Didn't know what else to do so I ran for it. Ended up homeless for a little while, could'a got myself seriously hurt. But then, when I was at my lowest, Tikki found me. From then on my luck seemed to change for the better. Like I said, best and stupidest thing. If I'd never done that, I wouldn't be where I am today. You just gotta go with the flow, life is weird and takes you to some shitty and wonderful places, as long as you stay true to what you want and who you wanna be, you can't go wrong,"_

Marinette smiled as Mary turned to her with a grin, now dressed, her hands resting on her stomach.

" _Now we gotta get you in that purple dress!"_ The optimistic actress' eyes sparkled with glee and Marinette complied with a shy chuckle, reaching out to grab the abandoned dress _"It's like me, too pretty to stay indoors!"_

Only fifteen minutes later Marinette's phone buzzed. Adrien and Johnny were outside waiting for them, fully suited-up according to Adrien's text. With their Tikki's stored safely in their respective purses, Marinette grabbed her dad's car keys (she still couldn't quite believe they were stealing- BORROWING- her dad's car) and the two Ladybug's headed outside.

When Adrien saw Marinette as she stepped out onto the street, he felt as though he could have gone to heaven right then and there and it would have been fine (well maybe not completely fine, as there was still a maniac to take care of and all). He found himself questioning, for about the millionth time, how it had taken almost losing her to make him realise just how incredible she was.

"Wow, you look…err…" he began, stumbling over his words, he flushed, _amazing, beautiful, exquisite, YOU'RE CHAT NOIR YOU SAY STUFF LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME SAY SOMETHING_ "you look…great," _damn it!_

Despite the fact that he'd never sounded so uncool in his entire life, Marinette glowed at his compliment. She seemed to radiate joy and he realised her freckles got darker when she blushed. He was such a goner.

"T- thanks! You look really armsome- I mean handsome," Marinette stammered and, when they met each-other's eyes, they shared nervous giggles. Adrien looked to her glossed lips and he was reminded of her words when their kiss had been interrupted. _Later_. Could it be later now please?

" _Woah you are looking good, 2016 SUITS you, am I right?"_ Mary pulled Johnny's tie towards her as she placed a kiss onto his nose.

" _Excuse me, but I believe you're the stunning one here not me,"_ Johnny retorted with a raised eyebrow which was completely different in its tone to the one he'd given Adrien earlier. Mary scoffed.

" _Not in a few months' time when I'm all fat 'cause I got your little bundle of joy growing crazy in me!"_

" _Don't talk nonsense, you'll always be gorgeous!"_

"Get a room you two!" Adrien couldn't help the cat-call. Despite not understanding their words, he knew exactly what they were saying. Especially when they held and looked at each other the way that they were. The older pair stared at him with incredulous looks. Mary lifted her phone up to her face, but not before she stuck her tongue out at him.

"I think it's quite obvious we already have a room," She shot back, using her hand to make a round gesture over her midriff "you guys are the ones that need to get a room,"

"But not 'til you're older," Johnny interjected and now it was Marinette's turn to scoff whilst Adrien tried exceedingly hard not to think about sharing a room with Marinette and all that could entail.

"Ok _dad,_ " Marinette rolled her eyes, strolling past them to her real father's car. The others followed close behind.

When the four of them reached the people carrier, they stood awkwardly outside it. A worried silence hung in the air. Marinette bit her lip again, forgetting that she was spoiling her lip gloss, for there seemed to be one glaring thing they'd neglected to think of. Adrien was fairly certain he heard crickets chirping in the distance.

"Okaaaay….so," He began "who's driving?"

"Well we can't drive," Marinette gestured to Adrien, feeling more stupid about their plan by the moment. She looked over to her right, where Johnny was standing, his mouth pulled tight and his brow crinkled "Adrien and I don't have licenses and we're too young to drive anyway. It would look suspicious if we drive instead of you two,"

"I can't drive at all, never learned," Mary explained "I'd give it a try but I have a feeling it would be pretty damn disastrous,"

Three pairs of eyes settled on Johnny and he sighed, running a hand down his face in a long-suffering manner. Marinette didn't know if she should feel amused or concerned.

"Fine I'll drive, but this car looks completely different to anything I've driven before," He grumbled, and the four of them piled into the car as Marinette handed Johnny the keys and he put them in the ignition. She then climbed into the backseat, behind Mary in the passenger side, and next to Adrien who was behind Johnny. The engine roared to life and they all immediately began to speak.

"It's ok, it's a semi-automatic," Marinette reassured,

"That means you move the stick thingy right?" Adrien asked.

"That's the gear shift," Johnny responded in a rapidly unamused tone "and where do I _shift_ it to get the car moving?"

"What's a gear shift?" Mary asked.

"The stick in the middle there," Marinette gestured.

"I thought those were only in manual cars?" Adrien frowned, leaning forward to prod the gear shift with a curious stare.

"Seriously Miss, how do I get this thing goin'?"

"Well they are but they're also in semi-automatics," Marinette pondered, not hearing Johnny "wait aren't they in automatics too but in a different way?"

"I don't know; the Gorilla drives me everywhere remember?" Adrien responded, referring to his huge hulk of a driver.

"Could you stop talking over each other? It's messing up the translation app and I can't understand anything! What this about a Gorilla manual?" Mary cried out with a pout.

"I swear to god," Johnny raised his voice ever-so-slightly and the car fell dead silent. He spoke through gritted teeth "if someone don't tell me how to drive this goddamn car, I will find out how myself, and we can turn around and fight some more damn thugs rather than get to the actual fight we're supposed to go to!"

Adrien sat back down in his seat, Mary patted Johnny on his shoulder as the long-suffering driver took a deep breath.

"Sorry Johnny," Marinette crinkled her face apologetically as she showed him the position to move off in and gave him a few directions. He seemed to handle himself fine once the initial madness had worn off and, Marinette settled next to Adrien. She frowned when she noticed him smiling to himself, and was just about to ask him what was so funny when he leaned in and murmured in her ear.

"You think the Avengers ever had this problem?"

He thought she'd roll her eyes at his silliness as per usual, but instead he saw her expression light up, and she looked away from him to prevent herself from laughing. When she'd gotten herself under control (after many half-finished snorts), she faced him and whispered back.

"It's probably what that Civil War movie is about, especially if Tony Stark and Steve Rogers are in the car together,"

Adrien flopped back in his seat, his grin practically splitting his face in two "you are my favourite person ever, you know that?"

A cough interrupted them and the pair noticed Mary had turned around in her seat to look back at them. She grinned and wiggled her eyebrows.

There were very few cars on the road until they reached City Hall, so it took them no time at all to arrive. The neo-renaissance building stood tall, proud and ever-grand despite the invisible chains wrapped around its pale stone exterior. For tonight it was a prisoner, a prisoner of a mad man out for more power than any of the gargoyles could comprehend. Golden lights illuminated the building, giving it an glow that seemed sinister rather than warm like it should have appeared. As Johnny parked the car they spotted several limos, hummers and the occasional eco-friendly car. The people inside them, Paris' richest and most powerful, were all clamouring out in their finest outfits. Some were slow and reluctant, others were twitchy and nervous, a few were eager and nosy- already getting their cameras out in hopes to catch a glimpse of the man who had apparently murdered their city's heroes in cold blood.

"People are really showing up?" Adrien frowned in disbelief, shaking his head.

"They're probably afraid of what will happen to them if they don't, seeing as they have nobody left to protect them. Everyone thinks you guys are dead and you saw what he did to those fighter jets," Johnny reasoned as they climbed out the car. He handed Marinette her father's keys whilst Mary matched Adrien's expression with her own scepticism.

"Yeah, they look _real_ afraid" she retorted sarcastically as they made their way to the entrance "that's why they've got those- what did you say they were Adrien?"

"Selfie sticks," Adrien replied with a wrinkled nose. He didn't like selfie sticks; his classmate Chloe was always trying to trick him into pictures using one.

When they got closer to the doorway the crowd got tighter and Adrien took Marinette's hand to make sure they didn't lose each other. Someone jostled Marinette's shoulder and she dropped her dad's car keys.

"Ah sorry!" A familiar voice cried out and Marinette stared in disbelief at the girl who stood before her, picking up the keys she had dropped "wasn't looking where I was going and I- Marinette?!"

The girls jaw dropped when she finally noticed Marinette gaping at her.

"Alya?!"

Adrien looked between the pair with a growing sense of dread. He turned to Johnny and Mary but found, to make matters worse, that they'd been completely lost in the crowd.

 _This… is going to complicate things somewhat_ he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, Adrien I think you're right there! Well they do say "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry" so why not "the best laid plans of cats and ladybugs often get messed up by intrepid reporter best friends?" ;)
> 
> Also am I allowed to fangirl over my own OC? Because Johnny acting all Dad-ish gives me life I cannot even, XD
> 
> The scene where they're arguing in the car and he does the superhero equivalent of "I will turn this car around!" has been in my head since the very beginning. I'm so happy I finally got to share that with you all! Also Adrien straight up drop-kicking Johnny into his dad's closet. Poor Johnny blue eyes! He didn't have a good time of it this chapter. I'm sorry baby ('cept I'm not cause it was funny to write. I REGRET NOTHING!)
> 
> Until the next time! XxXx


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

The party was in the function room, a room modelled after the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. Above them, classical paintings peered down from ornate golden frames. A series of archways mirrored each other on either side of the hall. Ten crystal chandeliers dangled from the ceiling, all lit by real candles. Intricate marble figures sat on top of the archways, giving the appearance that they were holding everything up by their delicate hands. Adrien had been here many times for events hosted by his father or the Mayor so it was nothing new but, as he looked to Marinette, he could see she was torn between marvelling at the splendour of it, and having a mild panic attack due to Alya's surprise appearance. He shuffled closer to her in a gesture of comfort. After scanning the crowd for a moment, he turned to his purple-dressed companion.

"He's not here, Jack Genovese. I can't see him anywhere," The crowd wasn't very large, perhaps he'd been wrong before about everybody showing up. What seemed like a large group of people outside, where they'd been spread out, appeared small now that they were all gathered in one room. Maybe most of Paris' rich and famous were hiding? "He's probably waiting to make a grand entrance."

"That sounds like him," Marinette murmured back, "he's very much a showman."

"How about I quickly look for Johnny and Mary? You stay here with Alya. Maybe try and convince her to leave?" Adrien suggested, not liking the idea of leaving her but having faith she'd be safe for a few moments. Especially considering Jack had yet to appear.

Marinette looked him dead in the eyes, her face concentrated in a very Ladybug-like manner, and his heart skipped a little "ok but hurry back, we shouldn't stay apart for very long."

"I wouldn't dream of staying away from _you_ for very long," Adrien winked, forcing every muscle in his body not to bow. Marinette shook her head, a small puff of air blew from her lips in mock exasperation. Even so, she leaned into his ear and began to whisper. Her breath tickled his ear and brushed against his cheek like a million ghost kisses. Adrien shivered.

"Adrien your Chat side is showing,"

He laughed then, only breaking eye contact when he'd fully turned his back to her and disappeared into the crowd to search for the older pair. Marinette didn't notice Alya sneak up from behind and snake an arm around her shoulders.

"So you used Gabriel Agreste's connections to get to this party right? It helps when you've got a boyfriend who can get you right where the Akuma action is taking place! Wish I'd had that, I had to sneak my way in!" It seemed like Alya was complaining as she patted down her sparkly silver dress, but her bragging tone suggested otherwise as she took out her phone and began taking photographs of everything. Marinette couldn't help but wonder how her friend was able to take photos when her whole body seemed to be vibrating with excitement.

"He's not my boyfriend he's…" Marinette trailed off lamely, clutching one of her arms across her chest. Truth be told she didn't know what they were to each other now, it's not like they'd had long to figure it out.

"Whatever, you guys seriously need to admit your feelings before I lock you in a closet or something!" Alya chuckled before she stood taller in order to spot any one she'd missed, "hey is that the Mayor?! I thought he'd be too chicken to show up!"

Inhaling deeply, Marinette grabbed Alya by the arm and, ignoring the reporter's protests, steered her to one side underneath one of the archways in the corner of the room. Nobody was nearby and they were in half-shadow, so Marinette was hopeful they'd be undisturbed.

"Alya seriously what are you doing here? It's unsafe! Didn't you hear? Ladybug and Chat Noir are dead! What if you get hurt again?" She hissed, stepping closer to her friend, refusing to let go of her arm.

Alya raised her eyebrow at Marinette, and _tsk-ed_ with a dismissive hand wave. "Please, you really think Ladybug and Chat Noir are dead?! No way would they'd lose to this creepy Akuma! They'll be here any minute I know it, and I'm not going to miss it for the world. It'll be the greatest superhero battle yet!"

Marinette clutched her hair and groaned before burying her head in her hand. She loved Alya. She really did. But her friend had absolutely zero self-preservation skills. How on Earth was she going to convince Alya to leave?! She raised her desperate blue eyes to meet her best friend's hazel ones, unsurprised that Alya was watching her as though she'd suddenly started laying eggs. She opened her mouth to start a new stream of protests, but stopped when she realised that Alya wasn't going to listen, for she truly believed Ladybug and Chat Noir were going to show up. Nobody would stop her from being there when they did…

…Nobody, that is, except for Ladybug herself.

Apprehension and finality held Marinette's heart hostage and she swallowed.

There was only one way she could possibly hope to keep Alya safe.

"Alya please, you've got to go. You don't know what this man is capable of but I do. I've faced him before and he almost burned my face off! Alya-" She reached out and clutched her friend's shoulders, her whole body flushed with anxiety as she noticed the way Alya's mouth fell open "you're right, this is going to be the biggest fight I've ever had to face and I need you to please, please, be safe."

Alya took a step back from Marinette's grasp, moving further into the shadows.

"You- what are you saying? Wait…" her eyes narrowed for a moment, before widening sharply. The gasp that escaped Alya's lips almost sounded like a banshee's shriek and her friend clamped trembling hands around her own mouth to muffle the noise "you're- you're,"

Marinette stood up taller, her chin tilted upwards to face Alya, in her trademark superhero pose. Despite her confident outward demeanour, she felt as though she were sitting in the waiting room of a hospital, waiting to hear of the fate of a loved one, even though she could tell already-

Alya knew.

"Yes. I am. I'm…Ladybug," Marinette winced at her own words, hating that she had to confess in such a dire situation "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to tell you. But you have to trust me now. It's my fault all of this started in the first place, it's my fault that Jack Genovese is taking over Paris. When I travelled to the past I met another Chat Noir and helped him stop Jack's plans to take over New York City. He turned himself into an Akuma and travelled here to take revenge. Alya nobody here is safe from that man, nobody! If he realises you're close to me, then he'll try to come after you too!"

"But- but Adrien is here too, why did you bring him if-" Alya stammered in response before she stopped abruptly. A hand cradled her forehead as she stared, unblinking, at the low arch above them "he's Chat Noir isn't he? Of course. How could I be so _stupid_?!"

"You aren't stupid Alya, you're brilliant," Marinette moved towards her friend and took both her hands, squeezing them tightly, relieved and amazed when she felt Alya squeezing back. Whether it was in comfort, comradery or fear, she couldn't tell. "You're far smarter than any of us combined. So now please I'm asking you, as Ladybug and as Marinette, _please_ do the smart thing and try and get everybody out of here to safety. Leave as quickly as you can and don't look back,"

Alya glanced behind her and, when Marinette turned around, she spotted Mary, Johnny and Adrien walking towards them all wearing quiet looks of concern. She faced Alya once more with desperation pooling in her eyes, and her best friend sighed.

" _Alright_ ," Alya breathed in a way which sounded half disappointed, half amused. Mariette couldn't help it, she rushed in for a relived hug "but I want _exclusive_ Ladybug interview rights from now on, got it?"

"Anything for the best friend in the whole universe!" Marinette squealed, so thankful Alya had actually listened to her, and her best friend disappeared into the crowd, hopefully starting the rumour mill that would eventually leave the place barren of everyone but Jack Genovese.

"So, Alya knows?" Adrien asked, locking hands with Marinette. She seemed in a world of her own, and he hoped to reach her in any way he could. He was certain wherever her mind was, it wasn't the most peaceful place "are you ok with that?"

"I guess, I mean only time will tell," Marinette shrugged faintly and avoided his gaze "I'm sorry I kind-of outed you as Chat to her,"

Adrien matched Marinette's shrug with one of his own "She's smart, she would have figured it out anyway. I don't care, Alya's a good person. She'll have our backs I know it,"

Right on cue they heard the object of their conversation yelling from across the room at a politician's trophy-wife.

"LOOK I DON'T CARE WHO YOU'RE MARRIED TO! PUT THAT SELFIE STICK AWAY AND GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I SHOVE IT SOMEWHERE YOU AREN'T GONNA WANT SELFIES TAKEN!"

"Well that's the good news," Johnny cut in with a peeved tone whilst Adrien roared with laughter, though Marinette could tell his annoyance wasn't directed at them "the bad news is that we still don't know where Jack is, we scanned the crowd again and came up with nothin'."

"I'd like to know where that no good punk is hiding," Mary made a punching gesture with her free hand and growled "shoot my man, I swear nothin' would give me greater joy than to punch him straight in his rotten, Akumatised face, and that ain't the hormones talking,"

Funnily enough, they all believed her.

After a quick deliberation they decided to join Alya in the game of rumour-spreading. The five of them spread out across the hall, whispering into the ears of the people that looked the gossipiest. Soon a buzz filled the room, an excited murmur which echoed all the way to the ceiling and back again. That Chat Noir and Ladybug were on their way, they were alive, they were going to save the day! Amazingly, people did begin to leave, some more reluctantly than others. A few people lingered outside with selfie sticks craned up through the windows to film the action however, once Alya had broken one of them in half, word spread once more that they could either leave safely or die via an Akuma-

-Or the death-glare of a girl in a silver dress with a vendetta against selfie sticks. It was up to them. Still, living was the preferable choice and eventually, the hall was empty.

Four of them convened back into the centre of the hall.

"Thanks for the help Alya," Adrien smiled gratefully towards her, feeling his spirits rising even more now they didn't have any civilians to worry about.

"Don't mention it, like I said, exclusive interview rights!" She called out as she wandered out the hall with a casual salute "kick butt you guys!"

Adrien turned around to face Johnny and Mary, who were looking about the hall, their expressions becoming more worried by the second. Adrien's eyes scanned the hall and his eyes lingered on something which caused panic to smack him like a harsh wave.

Marinette's purse was on the floor.

As Adrien rushed towards it, he felt as though an invisible rope was strangling him, for though five of them had made sure the hall was now empty, only three of them remained. He could hardly find the strength to open the purse, but when he did, the bubble of hope in his chest burst violently, the remnants pouring through his lungs and turning to ice.

"Adrien?" Tikki cried floating up from Marinette's purse, her antennae trembling "I think something bad has happened,"

The young blonde stood up, his legs shaking in fear and his mind quivering in disbelief. He begged that he hadn't done it again, that he hadn't failed her _again_.

"Marinette?!" Adrien yelled out, but the only thing that responded was the sound of his own terrified echo.

* * *

" _Hey, hey, hey, calm down girlie, calm down,"_ Jack whispered against Marinette's skin in a mock soothing manner. He'd wrapped his arm around her, once again pinning her against him, his hand pressed hard against her mouth to muffle the sound of the girl's screams. _Stupid_ , Marinette thought, she'd been so stupid! She'd let her guard down for one second and Jack had pounced when he'd felt sure she was alone enough. He'd obviously seen them arrive, and retreated into the shadows waiting to strike like a python with its prey. Now he'd dragged her out of the main hall and to a side room.

And they were all alone.

Marinette kicked out her legs in terror, the hem of her dress flying about wildly as she tried to escape. She heard him chuckle once, deeply and smugly, before she felt the cold steel of the gun against her.

" _Just like old times eh? Now here's the deal, you're gonna tell me, without calling for help, how you managed to survive,"_

He spun her around and gripped her throat just tight enough so that she couldn't yell out for help, but enough so that she could whisper. Her breath was rasping and pain shot through her windpipe as he squeezed it. The gun now pressed into her lower back.

" _I don't…usually…talk to…people who have guns…pressed against…my back,"_ She scowled at him. Just over Jack's shoulder, Marinette could see the door they'd come from. It remained shut.

 _Adrien, Johnny, Mary, I'm here_ she sent out a silent call.

" _I think you're underestimating just how powerful I am miss,"_ Jack growled, the grip on her neck tightened and she wheezed, her eyes shut automatically. The pain went from discomforting to agonizing for the briefest of moments before he released his hold ever so slightly _"I could easily make you a henchman if I chose, haven't recruited a lady yet,"_

" _r-really,"_ Marinette mocked, her face scrunched up against the onslaught to her poor throat, _"because I…. was under…the impression…you…underestimate me. You've-you've…tried to kill me…twice now…and failed both times,"_

" _You got lucky, but your lucks run out tonight girly,"_ Jack spat, a twisted smile growing on his lips, " _now I'm an Akuma, there's a difference, I have an army,"_

Marinette looked over his shoulder and smiled, she met Jack's cold eyes with her own fiery ones, and spoke her next words in French.

"You may…have an army…but I…have a better one,"

" _What? What are you saying you stupid French whore? You're pissin' me off now,"_ The Akumatised gangster growled, tightening his grip one last time.

"She means me."

Jack turned too late to see the black-gloved fist fly straight at his face, hitting him square in the jaw. He went flying to the ground, crashing against the wall with a large crack and didn't get up. Marinette almost went with him, but Chat Noir grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards him. She inhaled, coughing and spluttering as a rush of air hit her burning throat, her vision blurred as her eyes became watery, but she could just about see Mary and Johnny rushing to her side too.

"Are you alright Princess? Did he hurt you?" Chat Noir held her closely and, once she managed to gain some semblance of a regular breathing pattern, Marinette looked up at him with a grateful smile. Chat glanced at the red marks on her neck and turned towards Jack with a murderous expression she'd never seen cross his face. She doubted even Hawkmoth could generate that kind of a reaction from her partner.

As Tikki hurried to Marinette, cuddling up to her face in comfort, all Marinette could think to say to Chat was "you didn't use your baton?"

"No," Chat stated simply, stepping in between her and Jack despite the fact he'd yet to move "I wanted the satisfaction of punching him straight in his Akumatized face!"

"Brilliant," Johnny rolled his eyes but there was humour in them too "he's known you less than two weeks Mary, and he's already sounding like you."

"Hey what can I say? My good influence knows no bounds!" Mary chirped but then raised her eyebrow at the expression Johnny was giving to her stomach "what?"

Without directly responding to her, Johnny marched towards Jack's still form, though Marinette was pretty sure she heard him mutter something along the lines of _"I'm gonna have my hands full for the rest o' my life"_ under his breath.

Especially considering that Jack, at that very moment, got up and responded _"how sweet. You think you're gonna live that long,"_

Mary threw Chat the phone and held up both her fists whilst Jack pointed the gun at them. His eyes were trained solely on Johnny. Jonny blinked, remaining perfectly calm.

" _Give me the gun Jack,"_

Chat and Marinette rushed forward but stopped when Mary motioned for them to freeze. They paused, gazing at each other with confused expressions. Marinette looked at Tikki to ask if she should transform, but Tikki shook her head silently as if to say _wait until it's safer._

" _Now really Johnny is that any way to greet your cousin?" Jack sighed, thrusting the gun out further "What would your father say?"_

" _My father,"_ Johnny grunted, his voice remained calm as he stepped closer to Jack _"is buried six feet under with a bullet in his skull. You know that because uncle put him there. Now give me the damn gun and let's end this. You don't have to be like him. You never had to be like him."_

Marinette's eyes widened, Chat's arms dangled limply at their sides, the translation app pinged happily. The black-eared teen turned to Mary, who was staring at her husband face off against his own flesh and blood, something both her and her husband had neglected to mention.

" _And you don't have to go dressing up in cat costumes, savin' the day with some Ladybug bitch to prove you aren't like dear ol' Uncle Mick,"_ Jack scrunched up his face in fury.

Before any of them could blink Johnny grabbed Jack by the scruff of his collar and bashed him into the wall. Mary cried out a warning tone, but it seemed Johnny didn't hear her.

" _That's my wife you're talking about you asshole"_ Johnny hissed _"and my dad realised just how much of a piece of shit his brother was, and just how vile you all were. He wanted out, he wanted to do good. But you Genovese's don't care for people doin' good do ya? Had to make sure he never did good for the rest of his life, and then you go and try to end mine!"_

" _And now you wanna end mine don't ya Johnny_?" Jack grinned _"blood for blood right? Just like the Bible says. Admit it cousin, you want to end my life the same way my father took your father's. Prove it now, prove that underneath all that hero bullshit beats the heart of a gangster or I'll do it for you!"_

" _Johnny,"_ Mary called out softly this time, stepping forward to place her hand on his shoulder _"he's wrong, you don't want to do this, you're better than that,"_

Johnny turned towards her. The look in his eyes broke Marinette's heart. His grip on Jack's collar loosened…

And then the gun went off.

It seemed to happen in an instant. All of them tumbled to the ground as they ducked from the bullet, unsure of what direction it was heading. Marinette glanced up just in time to see Jack turn and flee back into the function room, shutting the door behind him as he went.

"TIKKI SPOTS ON!" She yelled and transformed, motioning for Chat to follow her. The pair hurried towards the door, dismayed to see the hall deserted.

"Damn it!" Ladybug cursed, "he must have escaped through a time portal!"

"We've got bigger problems then that!" Cried a familiar voice and Ladybug turned to spot Plagg floating towards her frantically. She frowned, meeting Chat's wide-eyed gaze. Chat…

Ladybug gasped.

If Adrien was currently Chat Noir (which he was), then modern-day Plagg was in his ring. So she was currently face-to-face with past-Plagg.

And that could only mean one thing.

" _Johnny,"_ She heard Mary's trembling voice, and dread filled her like a dead stone weight _"sweetheart…"_

Johnny Jones was standing in the middle of the room, his suit gone. His face was pale and his eyes were glazed. He wore a long black trench coat.

In his hand was a gun.

The gun was pointed straight at his wife's heart.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Nobody dared breathe.

The lights were low, they flickered with the buzz of fluctuating electricity. The gun in Johnny's hand shone as he held it firmly in his grasp and fixed Mary with the faraway mind-controlled stare they'd all come to recognise from Jack's thugs. But they'd never expected this, never expected that one of them could fall victim to ruthless Akuma's curse.

Ladybug and Chat Noir locked eyes, both completely at a loss for what to do. They couldn't hurt Johnny, and even if they made a move towards him surely a bullet would travel faster? For the briefest of seconds, Mary glanced in their direction. Lowering her head, the girl at gunpoint shook it from side to side, signalling for the pair to not attack him yet. They decided to trust her, yet Chat's chest seemed like it was going to explode from the tension. He'd never seen Mary look so small.

" _Johnny,"_ She said once more, pleading _"come on Cat, I know you're in there. You don't want to shoot me."_

Johnny continued to stare at her with a blank face, and Marinette felt as though she was tilting forwards on the edge of a great precipice, staring down into the abyss. She slipped her red-gloved hand into Adrien's black-clawed one with weak, limp fingers, feeling the warmth of his touch. The seconds dragged on.

" _Come on Blue Eyes, fight this,"_ Mary's voice was trembling _"You know this isn't you. It's them. It's what they think you are deep down. But I know you. I know you John. You're more than a gangster's son, and you always were, even before you became Cat Noir,"_ Adrien could see her body shivering head-to-toe, her brown eyes shining with tears. His lips pulled tight and his brow lowered. This wasn't fair, this wasn't right, and he wasn't going to stand there and let Mary and her unborn baby die just when they'd been given the chance to live the life they always deserved.

He looked at his lady once more, tilting his head towards the possessed older teen. Ladybug's eyes widened in understanding before she gave the faintest of nods, her free hand flexed towards her yo-yo.

Chat took a step forward. The younger duo surveyed the scene like two hawks, waiting.

The gun in Johnny's hand began to quake.

Mary too, took one shy step forward towards her husband, swallowing as she did so. Holding out her arms towards him, she took a great shuddering breath.

" _Don't leave me on my own again,"_ Mary whimpered and though Chat couldn't understand what she was saying, the suddenly vulnerability of her tone tore at his heart. Peering down at her abdomen, she cradled her still-flat stomach before looking at Johnny once more. Her eyes were two lost wanderers travelling the desert and Johnny's were the hidden oasis. She spoke a whisper so faint that the others could barely hear her.

" _Don't leave us."_

It was less than a moment, but Johnny's eyes flashed from pale grey possessed ones, back to a brilliant shade of blue. He stumbled backwards. That was all Chat needed to see.

"NOW!" Chat cried and he leapt, smacking the gun away from Johnny's grasp just as Ladybug threw her yo-yo, tripping the once again pale-eyed superhero. He thudded to the ground stomach first and grunted, but didn't have a chance to move before Chat threw himself onto the older Cat's back, immobilising him. Ladybug rushed to Mary's side and wrapped a comforting arm around the older girl's back, imploring after her wellbeing. Mary didn't reply, her focus was completely fixated on Johnny.

"What are we going to do?" Ladybug whispered helplessly "we can't leave him here on his own."

"And we need everyone, Johnny included, to beat Jack," Chat grunted struggling to hold the brainwashed hero down. His mind raced with ways to overcome the problem, "there has to be some way to break the spell on him!"

After a brief pause, something in Ladybug's mind sparked, a memory from what seemed like years ago. She took Mary's hand and brought it to her chest.

" _True loves kiss,"_ she whispered.

Mary looked at her then, her eyes sparkling with hope.

" _You think that'll work? I mean it's romantic Doll, and I'd love for it for it to be the thing to work but…"_

" _It worked once before. With him,"_ Ladybug responded motioning to Chat, who looked up at them with a confused expression. She felt lucky the phone had been abandoned for the time being, and her words weren't being translated, but then he disappeared into a world of his own, seemingly thinking over his own solution to the problem _"Chat was struck with a Dark Cupid arrow which caused him to hate me, I broke the spell by kissing him. But he doesn't remember."_

" _Uh-huh, remind me to go crazy over that itsy detail after my husband is back to normal."_ Mary responded numbly, _"Which he will be. I know it. But think, it probably only broke the spell on Chat 'cause that Akuma was love related."_

"Cataclysm,"

The pair looked over to Chat, who was glancing down at his own clawed hand. The ghost of his spoken thought echoed around the room, filling the grim silence that followed.

"A-are you sure Chat?"

Plagg (Johnny's Plagg) floated up to them, and Mary's Tikki joined him.

" _I think Mary is right, I don't think true loves kiss will work,"_ Tikki agreed _"but I'm sure there's a way to fix this,"_

" _Not to mention a kiss would be horribly cheesy, and I don't mean the good kind of cheese neither,"_ Plagg added on.

"No, by all means, please take your time guys!" Chat cried struggling as Johnny's arm movements got more frantic. He leaned over and pinned them down as he continued to explain, "Cataclysm is used to destroy but not just by wrecking stuff. It can counter and destroy powerful attacks so why not curses too?"

Past-Plagg looked mildly impressed.

"You seem smart kid, I like ya," He nodded to Adrien, speaking in French.

" _It's up to you Mary, it's your decision,"_ Ladybug reassured.

Mary stepped forward, leaving Marinette's comforting hold. She smiled warmly at her younger counterpart, perhaps in thanks, before came right up to where Chat and Johnny were. Kneeling down she looked Johnny straight in the eyes, reaching out to caress his pale cheek.

" _I love you Johnny Jones. I always have. I always will_ ," She said with firm resolve building in her voice as she dropped her hand back to her side. Her gaze snapped to Adrien's and she spoke to him with a nod. _"Adrien. That's my husband and the father of my child. No pressure but- don't mess this up."_

Adrien didn't need to know her exact words to understand. He inhaled deeply, shaking with nerves as he lifted one arm into the air, as he yelled out his trademark superpower, as he placed the Cataclysm attack onto Johnny's black trench coat.

There are few near soul-destroying moments where absolutely nothing happened. Then a black flash ignited the room. The force of the Cataclysm sent Chat and Mary flying backwards and Ladybug rushed forward to catch Mary before she hit the ground. Chat tumbled over in the opposite direction and groaned from his spot on the floor, his head ringing. A second later, he heard Mary screaming Johnny's name and fear flooded him as though he were drowning in his own blood. He glanced to his gloved hand, suddenly getting the urge to rip it off his body, detach himself from the irredeemable damage he'd done. _No_ he thought closing his eyes, not wanting to see Johnny's dead body on the floor, not wanting to see Mary weeping at her lost husband _I was wrong. I'm so sorry, I'm sorry Mary, forgive me._

A gentle hand was place on his shoulder, followed shortly by another one. They were warm and delicate, cradling him as though he were a kitten.

"Chat," Ladybug's voice was like a lighthouse and he was the ship lost at sea. It pulled his eyes open and at first he despaired, for all he could see in her eyes were the tears. But then, she spoke once more. Pulling him up to a sitting position and knocking him completely off guard when she threw her arms around him "you clever Kitty, you amazing, wonderful, brave, caring man! You did it!"

Johnny Jones was back in his normal suit, sitting in the middle of the room just a few metres away from where Ladybug and Chat Noir were. He wasn't looking at anyone, just staring at the hand the (now vanished) gun had been in moments before. Mary was kissing his neck, his cheeks, his forehead, over and over again.

" _Johnny sweetheart are you ok? Oh God you had me so worried there Blue Eyes, I thought I'd lost you!"_

" _Am…am I ok?"_ Johnny spluttered in disbelief, pulling himself and his wife up. His voice was faint, he seemed to wilt into himself. His shoulders slumped _"I'm not the one who was just held at gunpoint."_

There was another silence whilst Mary looked at him, searching his soul. When she understood what he meant, she smiled softly.

" _You weren't going to shoot me Cat. I told you, you aren't them,"_ She stated.

" _Yeah Johnny, you think you would-a been chosen to be a Cat Noir if you were like your stupid family?"_ Plagg rolled his eyes _"come on, think it through!"_

" _She's right Johnny!"_ Marinette cried rushing towards him, Chat also followed suit, grabbing the phone to start translating once again _"you really weren't, the gun was trembling and you almost broke free of the curse yourself!"_

" _If I hadn't had beat you to it I bet you would have totally broken free of the curse! You were super cool there Johnny!"_ Chat added, very much aware of his ring beginning to beep. He was on borrowed time as Chat Noir, his powers wouldn't last much longer before he de-transformed.

Johnny gave a weak smile to all of them before stepping towards Chat and the green-eyed boy worried that Johnny might hit him for using Cataclysm on him. However instead he placed a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks for helping me out kid,"

Chat grinned "Anytime! Us alley cats have got to stick together!"

Ladybug was just about to groan at his utter failure of a joke before they heard something which made them all give a start, something which had Johnny and Mary transform instantly, something which filled all of their hearts with dread.

The sound of a gunshot exploding through the silence of the now deserted function room.

The four burst through the door to see Jack Genovese standing there, looking livid. There were many more tattoos on his arms now, all different dates scattered across the ages. He glowered at the foursome, lifting his lips up in a snarl.

" _How many times do I have to try and kill you all before you just die already?"_

" _Well why don't you stay here and try and finish the job yourself then you coward!"_ Mary yelled back. Jack raised an eyebrow and laughed at her.

" _A good crime boss never does his own dirty work,"_ He spat.

" _Neither does a bad crime boss either it seems,"_ Johnny shot back _"I'm done with your games now cousin, this ends now."_

" _Yes, Johnny, it does end now. You're right. I've got bigger fish to fry, what with a city to take over and all, so tonight is the night I feed you all to the wolves, and boy what wolves they are!"_ Jack grinned in a demented manner and Ladybug frowned as she heard the distant sound of heavy footsteps. But they weren't just the heavy footsteps of one person, no, it sounded like the heavy-booted steps of an army. A very well trained, perfectly timed squadron. _"Ya see, I met these fellas that spent some time here just over seventy years ago, and wouldn't you know I managed to…persuade them to come and spend some time here again, in 2016. Have fun with them, I'm off to destroy everything you've ever held dear!"_

Jack disappeared just in time before the barrage of weapons hit him, his laugh ricocheting off the walls.

 _"DAMN IT! Why does he always do that?! It's so annoying!"_ Mary cried _"we have to peg him down and stop him before he causes any more chaos,"_

 _"Oh he's gone beyond chaos,"_ Chat swallowed, peering out one of the windows with an unreadable expression "he's gone completely and utterly mad."

Ladybug followed his line of vision and nearly dropped her yo-yo when she saw the culprits of the great thudding footsteps.

It was a sound and sight that had not been heard in Paris for many years, yet the scars remained on the city enough that it pierced Ladybugs heart in terror to see the soldiers heading straight for them. Soldiers in trench coats, the red arm band with the black symbol, so familiar yet so horrifying. The swastika…

"Are- are those-" Ladybug began but couldn't find the strength to finish the words.

"Yup," Chat confirmed "Nazi. Gangsters."

There was a brief moment of silence before Chat exploded.

"THAT IS SO COOL!"

Ladybug's mouth fell open.

"Err guys, mind filling us in on the situation?" Cat inquired. Marinette ignored him.

"COOL?! What?! ARE YOU ACTUALLY INSANE RIGHT NOW?"

Chat turned to her with an expression of glee.

"No! Just think, when are we ever going to have the opportunity to beat up Nazi's ever again? Let's make the most of this situation whilst we can! I don't have much time left before I change back, so let's use it to our advantage and kick some Nazi butt!"

"You are incorrigible," Ladybug grinned at her partner, his amazement at the situation seemed to be infectious and she grabbed her yo-yo "but you are of course, completely right. Time for a second V-day!"

" _We literally have no idea what's going on,"_ Mary frowned placing her hands on her hips _"but I'm guessing we're about to kick the ever lovin' crap out of those guys outside."_

Chat Noir grinned, pulling his baton out and flicking the bell around his neck whilst the Nazi's loomed ever-closer to the City Hall Building.

" _You got that right, sister."_


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

At first it seemed easy. The Nazis came charging forward in perfectly ordered lines but surprisingly, they had no weapons. It was as though Jack had hastily ripped them from their timeline without much thought. As Ladybug punched a Nazi straight in the jaw, knocking him into another one of his friends, she smirked. Running through the crowd, she tripped several of them at once with her trusty yo-yo, noticing how easily the older Ladybug and Cat Noir were handling themselves. Perhaps controlling too many people at once spread Jack's power too thinly? She wasn't going to muse on it further. She had, in Chat's words, "Nazi butt to kick".

Speaking of Chat, Ladybug glanced over at her partner with a smile, the precocious feline was having the time of his life. Whooping with delight, he leapt straight over one of the chandeliers and straight into the crowd of German enemies with his baton raised high.

The sight of several Nazis flying into the air like bowling pins would be engraved in Marinette's mind for as long as she lived.

Chat came to land beside her as she ducked under one soldier's thrown fist. She grabbed it and tossed the dark-eyed man over her shoulder. Chat side stepped out of the way just in time.

"Woah," He cried "careful where you throw those things My Lady!"

"I'll try harder next time," she retorted with a wink before she heard the unmistakable sound of Chat's ring beeping, her eyes widened "Chat Noir, your ring!" she gasped when she realised- she'd lost her purse when Jack attacked her. It had enough cheese and cookies in it just in case they'd needed them, however what good was a _missing_ pile of cheese to anyone?

"I'm on it!" Chat shot back and dashed across to the other side of the hall, leaping from one of the chandeliers. To Ladybug's immense relief, she spotted her bag in the direction he was heading. Thank goodness for that. She turned back to face the barrage of soldiers, feeling her hope sink just as quickly as it had recovered.

There weren't just more Nazi's now, there were other soldiers too. Revolutionist peasants, dirty and hungry for more than just food, knights in their shining armour clattering towards them, Napoleonic troops with many a fine sword waiting to slit the throats of their enemies, Prussians with their muskets and tall hats, all of them swarming into the hall. There were too many, too angry and too murderous, to count. All wanted to serve their new master, all wanted blood for Jack Genovese. Ladybug swung to Mary's side, where she stood next to Johnny, her arms shaking as she did so. She'd never seen anything like it, this huge wave of enemies. The Ladybug's eyes met. Cat threw out an arm to cover Mary's stomach, as if that might protect her from the wave of enemies coming straight towards them.

" _We can take 'em…right?"_ Ever the optimist, even Mary seemed a little shaken.

" _I'm not so sure about that,"_ Cat responded in a gruff tone, his jaw tight as the enemies surrounded them _"but I guess we have to try,"_ He faced Mary, his expression conveying nothing but his tone letting her know just how worried he was _"just stay close"_

The two of them leapt forwards and Ladybug was just about to follow suit when she heard a strangled cry from behind her. Her heart felt as though a lightning bolt had struck through it.

_Adrien._

She bolted in the opposite direction, elbowing any stupid soldier that dared cross her and throwing her yo-yo out to stop any projectile weapons coming her way. All of that was second nature though. Her mind was solely focused on her partner, on finding him, on begging that he was ok.

She screeched to a halt when she spotted him. Adrien. Not Chat Noir. Adrien, who didn't have a baton to defend him, didn't have the suit which granted him super strength, didn't have heightened senses to spot danger before it arrived. And so a Nazi had cornered him, had thrown him roughly against the wall. Ladybug saw the Nazi grab Adrien by the scruff and punch him hard. Adrien managed to counter the blow, but not fast enough. The Nazi's fist missed its original target (his face) and instead collided with Adrien's collar bone. The polka-dotted heroine felt all of her breath rush out of her as she watched him tumble to the ground. Fear gripped her only for a second before she felt something else entirely.

Fury. Complete, unfettered fury.

Her hands balled into fists as she raced towards the soldier who dared lay a hand on her partner.

Adrien looked up from his place on the floor, his collar bone throbbing with pain. Outside of the mask, nobody had every thrown a punch at him like that before and it truly stung. Still he was on his feet in no time, his fist raised in front of his current foe, ready to give as much as he could get. _Plagg_ He thought _hurry up and finish the cheese already!_

The sight of his Lady leaping, feet-first with a ferocious flying kick, had his fists falling limply to his side and his mouth agape. The kick landed squarely in his assailant's side and the Nazi practically collapsed in on himself. There was a sickening crunch, which sounded like ribs breaking. Ladybug landed firmly on the ground, swinging her yo-yo and stepping in front of Adrien as if to shield him, her scowl matched the one he'd thrown at Jack Genovese not five minutes before.

"Don't you dare touch him you filthy Nazi scumbag," Ladybug growled under her breath, and snapped the yo-yo back to her when she realised the Nazi wasn't getting up again. She spun around to face Adrien, her features and her voice softening as she looked him over "are you alright?"

Adrien's mind had gone completely blank.

"A- Adrien?" Ladybug waved a hand in front of her partner's face, concern growing every second he didn't respond to her. God. Was he concussed?!

"I- I'm fine," Adrien stumbled over his words, snapping out of it when he heard Mary's battle cry somewhere in the middle of the hall "I…that was just about the coolest thing I've ever heard you say that's all."

Ladybug blushed and the pair shared a look that lasted far less time than either of them would have liked. A knight stomped towards them, with a huge heavy battle sword. He held the sword high above his head, though it seemed strenuous to do so. Ladybug flicked her yo-yo at the weapon and it fell out of the knight's hold, dropping straight onto the helmet and knocking the knight unconscious with almighty clang. It was a sound so loud that, across the hall, Cat placed his hands on his cat-ears and screamed various obscenities, giving one Revolutionist a chance to kick him straight in the stomach.

"PLAGG!" Adrien could have kissed his Kwami he was so glad to see the small black creature floating to his side, seemingly fully recovered. There was no time for quick puns or banter between the pair, Plagg didn't even make a snide remark. Adrien barely needed to say the words before Plagg disappeared into his ring and transformed him back into Chat Noir. The pain in his collar bone eased due to the superpowers coursing through him, giving him strength, but the dull ache was still there. He had to be more careful.

Ladybug and Chat Noir rushed into the centre of the room to find Johnny and Mary, noticing how out of breath the pair were as they battled through the never-ending storm of enemies.

"We can't keep this up forever!" Cat called out to the pair as he extended his baton to take out a row of thugs from across the ages "there's too many of them!"

" _Jack's probably sending even more enemies our way as we speak!"_ Mary cried through gritted teeth as she dodged an attack from a Prussian soldier. She snatched the golden-blue hat from his head and shoved it straight into the soldier's mouth, using his shock at her unexpected move to trip him to the ground and kick him straight in the head.

"What are we going to do?!" Even Ladybug couldn't see a way out of this situation without wasting more time. And time was something they couldn't afford to lose more of. Every second was another era Jack could have ruined, and what if he chose to meddle with any of their own timelines? No. They needed a way out of this situation. They needed to find Jack. Fast.

"We gotta destroy this whole damn place! Make it so these guys can't follow us so we have a clear shot of finding Jack!" Cat yelled.

Chat Noir gaped.

"Are you crazy?!" He screeched, turning around just in time to counter the attack of a Napoleonic soldier, yanking the back of his coat over the soldier's head, blinding him as he forced the soldier back into the crowd "I just transformed back and you want us to destroy a whole entire room?!"

"Do it Chat! I agree, it's the quickest way to get ourselves out of this mess, and Miraculous Ladybug will fix the building and send the soldiers back like nothing happened to them anyway!"

Chat groaned, cursing his unwillingness to say no to his Lady.

_The things I do for love. It's worth it though._

Ladybug grabbed Mary's arm and, after briefly explaining what their Cats were about to do, the pair rushed to the exit, darting out into the cool night air.

Cat and Chat met in the middle of the room, standing back-to-back like they'd done in their previous fight.

"You ready kid?" Cat asked as they began to be surrounded by the remaining enemies. The mind-controlled thugs circled them, so great in numbers that Chat wondered if they'd even taken out a third of them.

"As ready as I'll ever be Alley-Cat," Chat nodded. The pair raised their claws up into the air.

"CATACLYSM!" They bellowed simultaneously, both placing their hands onto the floor.

The black glow of the Cataclysm attacks poured through the room, spilling across the tiled floors, the stone arches, the marble statues, like a sudden shadow. All at once, the room began to tremble and quake. The pillars crumbled first, the marble statues fell to the ground, smashing loudly. A roar began to fill the room as though thunder was approaching from a distance. Both Cats took that as a cue to run towards the exit as fast as they could. As they dashed towards the doors (knocking through several soldiers as they went), Chat glanced over his shoulder. The room was beginning to collapse on itself. Clouds of dust were rushing towards them; rubble began to fly in all directions. The two cats threw themselves out of the doors just in time, slamming them shut and breaking the handles in a way which meant the thugs could not break through. Windows smashed and the glass went hurling towards them, slicing through the night air and straight towards the two Ladybugs. Chat leapt towards his Ladybug, throwing himself on top of her and the pair fell to the ground, safe from the flying glass. Cat grabbed Ladybug and flipped her around, covering her with his back the same way he'd protected Marinette from Jack's bullet. It seemed his luck was better this time around, however, as the glass shards did not reach either of them. The four of them watched silently as part of Paris' City Hall crumbled under the weight of two Cataclysm attacks, burying the thugs underneath with a thrum that seemed to shake the sky itself.

Then there was silence.

Chat Noir pulled Ladybug to her feet, keeping his hands firmly entwined in hers. It seemed as though they'd put the world to rest with that latest attack. Yet Ladybug didn't like the calm one bit, and found herself clinging to Chat's hand more. The silence made her uneasy.

" _Where is he?!"_ Mary cried and Chat realised, with dismay, that the phone was lost inside the building. They'd could no longer rely on the translation app, which would make things a bit more complicated. Still, that seemed like the least of their troubles right now.

" _Jack Genovese!"_ Ladybug yelled, unable to stand the quiet any longer _"show yourself!"_

The sky was darker than usual, even for night time, clouds encircled the remaining parts of City Hall and the wind picked up, chilling them as it tickled the backs of the four superheroes' necks. The crack of a gunshot split the night air in two.

"THE ROOF!" Cat pointed in the direction of one of the spires that had toppled over and the foursome swung their batons and yo-yos, leaping onto the building without a second thought.

Jack Genovese stood before them once more, his breathing ragged, his eyes wild. He looked as though he'd gone completely mad. Perhaps he had. Ladybug didn't muse on it. She didn't care about his posturing; she didn't care about his evil plans. She wanted this maniac de-Akumatised and out of their lives for good.

"LUCKY CHARM!" She cried.

An axe appeared in the air and she let it fall to her feet, fearing she would hurt herself if she caught it wrong. Jack took one look at the axe and tilted his head back to the ever darkening sky, his laughter came out in short sharp rasps.

" _And just what are you going to do with that axe eh girlie?"_ He mocked. Chat and Ladybug scowled at him.

" _HOW 'BOUT SHE LENDS IT TO ME AND I CHOP YOU INTO LITTLE PIECES YOU MOBSTER BASTARD?"_ Mary spat, fingers balled up into fists. Cat rested a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder.

" _Don't let him get to you, it's what he wants,_ _we just have to concentrate on getting that gun_ ," Cat mumbled in her ear, repeating his words in French for Chat's sake, before he turned towards his cousin, calling out to him over the wind _"it's over Jack!"_

" _I'll tell you when it's over and we're not even close!"_ Jack snapped and pulled out his gun. Ladybug and Mary made moves with their yo-yos as if to snatch the weapon straight from his grasp, but what they saw next made them stop, made all of them freeze as though they had been shot themselves. The four stared at the scene with slowly dawning horror.

A small girl had stepped out from around the corner, fearfully moving towards Jack Genovese as he motioned for her to go to him. Her blue eyes, so deep and familiar, shone with tears and she whimpered. Her long brown locks billowed out behind her as Jack grabbed her by her tiny arm and yanked her towards him. She was so small, so fragile looking, and hardly dressed for Parisian night time. Her long white summer dress was dirty with grass stains, the green bow in her hair was askew, she could have been no more the four years old at the very most, and looked as though she had been snatched from the garden of a big white house somewhere in the South of America…

And that's when Ladybug and Chat Noir noticed it simultaneously. The new tattoo across Jack's face. A new date he'd travelled to.

_1932._

" _Where on Earth are all of your manners_?" Jack grinned, his shoulders shaking in mirth, his eyes crackling with manic triumph as he faced Johnny and Mary, who were staring at the little girl in his arms with matching looks of fear, dismay and disbelief. He laughed once more.

" _Well go on then,"_ He cried _"say hello to your daughter!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And you thought the cliffhanger for chapter 16 was mean ;)


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The wind dropped. All of the stars vanished behind an array of thick clouds. The only light came from the towers of City Hall, which had not yet been knocked down, and streetlamps radiating light pollution. Paris toed the line between two possible futures, only one of which would be triumphant. Yet, as the four heroes stared at their enemy, none of them could think about the consequences of the final battle in an overarching sense. For once, this was not about New York or Paris as a whole. The fight had gotten personal, horrendously and terrifyingly personal. First with Marinette's parents, and now with the little girl Jack Genovese dangled like bait in front of them. Tension poured out of every breath, every muscle, every blink. Even with Jack's taunts, none of them could speak.

Then, little Marian Jones gave a small sob and the world seemed to restart itself.

At once, all four of them exploded in rage.

"How _dare_ you!"

" _Jack this is too far. Give her back. Now."_

"Let Catbug go or I'll make you!"

" _GIVE ME BACK MY DAUGHTER OR I WON'T NEED THAT AXE! I'LL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB WITH MY OWN DAMN HANDS!"_

The four rushed towards him, all weapons raised, collectively ready to beat Jack into submission and save Marian, even as both Cat's rings began to beep. But Jack, with an expression that conveyed a total absence of fear, merely pointed the gun at Marian's head.

" _One more move and she gets sent back to the stone age_ ," He growled. Jack stared at all of them as they came to a violent halt. He tutted and shook his head. Glancing down at Marian he spoke directly to his hostage _"honestly sweetheart, didn't anyone ever tell you it's dangerous to talk to strangers? You must have the worst parents in the world."_

Adrien didn't think it was possible to be angrier than he was at that moment. He didn't understand what Jack was saying, and in a way that made it so much worse. The Mobster's gentle, mocking tone, the way he spoke to Marian in a lullaby-like manner, had him clutch his baton tighter. In a way he was glad he'd already used his Cataclysm attack, for never in his life had he had a stronger urge to use it on a person.

" _What do you want Jack? What purpose does this serve? She's your cousin too, she's your own flesh and blood. Let her go,"_ Johnny repeated himself and Marinette could hear the fury shaking his voice even though his outward demeanour showed he was forcing himself to remain calm. Mary was panting heavily, clutching her yo-yo so hard that her gloves were visibly straining over her knuckles, yet there were tears in her eyes. Marinette looked down. Even with the axe in her hands, she felt completely at a loss. What use could an axe be against a gun?

" _What purpose does this serve? I'm sending a message! I'm invincible now, but you aren't. I know that first hand, and you're all gonna die knowin' I'm taking your cities, you loved ones, your futures away. See I never really thought of having a family, but a child to carry on my legacy, even a girl, would be quite beneficial wouldn't it?"_ He grinned, placing his gun-toting hand in Marian's hair, stroking it.

" _There's no way in hell we'll ever let that happen!"_ Mary yelled.

Jack glanced her way and, before they could stop him, he released a gunshot into the air.

" _Try and stop me when you're dead,"_ He responded with a smirk.

The gunshot echoed in the air and a spark of purple-lightning cracked horizontally above them. The cold stone roof began to tremble as a portal opened up, wider and wider to the point where Paris vanished before their eyes. The ground lurched and Chat fell into Ladybug, who used her free hand to stabilise him. They glanced at each other, seeing the same layers of fear reflected in each other's eyes as they adjusted to their surroundings.

First the smell hit them, the smell of death and rotting flesh, the smell of fire. Then came the taste of dirt and smoke, of metal. It was cold and dark, and something was squishing beneath their feet. Finally came the sounds of the booming explosions, the cries of dying men gurgling their own blood, the roaring of something very heavy flying through the air very fast…

Shells.

"Oh god…" Ladybug was the first to speak, to fully comprehend their situation.

It didn't matter their exact location, or the exact date they'd travelled to. All of them understood where Jack Genovese had sent them. They'd all heard the terrible stories, Marinette and Adrien had been taught about it at school, seen the pictures, read the poems. They knew where they were.

"No Man's Land." Chat let the words fall from his lips.

Without another word the four of them hurried to the broken body of a burnt-out tank. The dived behind it for cover as best as they could, with their feet dragging through the seemingly endless piles of mud and who knows what else.

Mary was frantic.

" _Where is he? Has he left us here? Our baby…"_

Johnny wrapped his arms around her, staring at the sky with a taught jaw.

"Jack's here!" Chat was peering over the side of the tank as a nearby explosion shook the ground and made them all nearly lose their footing. Jack Genovese was standing about twenty meters away, watching them with a smile which made him sick "he's just…watching us. Marian is with him. Well he said he wanted to watch us die."

Johnny and Mary blinked at him.

"Marian?" Johnny inquired looking at Chat's eyes "is that her name?"

Chat nodded.

" _Marian…We have to get her back,"_ Mary choked _"we have to stop that bastard once and for all."_

Another shell exploded nearby, far closer this time and they all yelled, moving in together to protect themselves and each other. The rings beeped once again. They were running out of time. In the distance they heard Jack laughing manically. Ladybug grit her teeth.

" _We need your lucky charm Mary, together we might be able to work something out,"_ She explained. Mary swallowed her tears and nodded, calling out her signature move.

A small, curved wooden object appeared in front of them. Ladybug felt despair drowning her.

"A boomerang?" Ladybug cried "A BOOMERANG?!"

" _What the heck is it?"_ Mary replied, glancing it over.

"I ain't never seen somethin' like this before," Johnny responded, picking it up with a frown.

"It's a toy but it was once used like a weapon to hunt things," Adrien explained trying very hard to ignore a bloodied soldier not five feet away from them, struggling limply in a tangled mess of barbed wire. Both of his legs were missing. The soldier was young, about his own age, and whimpering in fear of his own impending death. Adrien's hands balled into fists and he vowed to never, ever play a war-based game as long as he lived.

"OF COURSE!"

All three of the them turned to face Ladybug, whose eyes lit up with excitement.

"We need to separate Jack from that gun so we can destroy it! The Akuma is in Jack's gun. If Mary uses the boomerang…"

"Then you can destroy the gun using the axe!" Adrien leapt up, grabbing Ladybug's hand. She frowned and looked away. As Johnny explained the plan to Mary, Adrien realised where his Lady's line of thinking was going, and his heart sank before she'd even said the words.

"I need to get close to him in order to do it, I need to go… out there. But, I can barely see a thing! It's either dark or there's smoke and I- I can't even see Jack!"

"I can," Chat replied, never more grateful for his cat-like night vision "I'll take you there, we can go together."

Ladybug swallowed her eyes bulging at the implications of his vow.

"Chat, are you sure?"

"My Lady, I'm your partner. I would follow you to hell and back." He stated simply, with a finality that couldn't be reasoned with and despite their horrendous situation, Ladybug smiled.

"Well this is going to be pretty close to hell, Kitty," She nodded. They turned just in time to see Mary and Johnny embracing, their lips meeting in a rushed, passionate way.

" _You let them do their thing, then you bring our baby girl back Johnny Jones,"_ Mary whispered against her husband's lips. Johnny placed his hands on his wife's abdomen.

" _I will,"_ he replied, his voice hoarse _"and you look after our baby girl here."_

" _I will,"_ Mary nodded.

Chat and Ladybug thread their fingers together, fixing each other with a look which words could not convey. Never in their whole time as Ladybug and Chat Noir had either of them believed they would be in a situation like this. They squeezed their hands tightly as the stared into the abyss of No Man's Land. Chat adjusted his vision, and could see Jack still standing there with an increasingly distressed Marian squirming in his arms. Perhaps he really was invincible at that moment, no shells seemed to strike him, nothing around them seemed to acknowledge that he was standing there. It was almost as though they were ghosts.

"COME ON! DIE _!"_ Jack roared _"I WANT TO SEE YOU! I WANT TO SEE ALL OF YOU DIE! WHERE ARE YOU?!"_

" _RIGHT HERE!"_ Ladybug bellowed back.

And so they ran. They ran through the mud, the water, the blood, the bodies. They ran through No Man's Land, dodging water-dredged shell holes, barbed wire fences, racing around bare tree stumps. Chat held Ladybug's hand firmly in his as he guided her towards Jack Genovese.

Jack span around and pointed his gun at the three, but he'd taken one arm off of Marian and that was a mistake he'd come to regret. The little girl turned around and sunk her teeth into the arm which still held her captive. The Mobster howled in pain, throwing his arm up, completely caught off guard. The gun went off and illuminated the sky in purple light once more, but there was no target and no portal. He hadn't meant to shoot it but at last, Ladybug could see.

" _MARY NOW!"_ Johnny cried and Mary threw herself over the tank, throwing the boomerang towards Jack with all the force she had; it spun through the air with a high whistle and for a moment, none of them dared to breathe…could they really do it? Could they really be so lucky?

The boomerang smacked into Jack's arm, sending the gun flying out of his clutches.

"CHAT!" Ladybug called and, as though he'd read her mind, Chat Noir kneeled down before her. She ran and leapt into his waiting hands and he pushed her into the air with all his strength. The world seemed to slow down as she rushed up in the air, straight towards the gun, the axe ready in her hands. She missed the sight of the green glow behind her as Adrien de-transformed. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears at the sight of the akumatised weapon, glinting in the purple light of the failed time-attack. She raised the axe over her head-

In one swift movement the axe tore through the gun, slicing it completely in half as the world righted itself again and the dark purple butterfly fluttered out. She heard Jack scream in fury as she reached out for the Akuma with her yo-yo, trapping it to cleanse it.

"No more evil-doing for you," she sighed as she released the now fully cleansed, beautifully white butterfly. It floated into the air, disappearing into the blackened sky.

As Cat de-transformed himself, he leapt in front of his cousin, who was no longer pale, no longer adorned with time-tattoos, no longer invincible.

" _Give me back my daughter, you son of a bitch!"_ He growled, punching Jack straight in the face. From the distance, purple light surrounded them. Suddenly, Adrien could see the Eiffel Tower again. Without Jack's powers holding them there, it seemed the time-portal was closing in on itself. The light surrounding them was heading straight for Jack and they realised with panic-

They needed to leave. They needed to get as far away from Jack as possible or they'd be stuck in No Man's Land for good.

Johnny picked Marian up in his arms and ran towards the rapidly charging wall of light, heading straight for Mary who was waiting for them. The light had already reached her, she was standing back on the rooftop of City Hall.

Ladybug rushed forward but something caught around her waist. She looked and noticed with alarm, that Jack Genovese had crawled to her, wrapping his arms tightly around her. His hair was matted, blood poured from his mouth, his eyes were soulless and desperate.

" _No, no, no girlie, you're staying right here with me. I'm gonna watch you die even if I have to go out with ya!"_

Ladybug squirmed in his hold, punching and kicking, but he wasn't moving, he wasn't getting off her. The wall of light was closing around them and if she didn't jump through the portal to the other side, she was sure she'd be trapped-

A pair of strong hands pushed her and she finally broke free of Jack's hold, tumbling to the ground. She was thrown far enough to have crossed the border in between the past and the present, safe in modern day Paris. Ladybug glanced back to the portal. Her body froze.

Blue eyes met green. Adrien was hurrying towards the portal edge. But he was slower, less agile in his suit, his legs were sinking in the mud. He wasn't going to make it.

"Adrien!" Ladybug screamed and, without thinking, she ran straight back towards the portal, crossing it just in time to see the shell heading towards them, hissing through the air. She grabbed Adrien's hands and tore him free of the mud. They ran towards the edge; the sound of the shell grew louder. She turned her head to see Jack looking at it, his eyes wide and for the first time ever, she saw true fear in them. The shell thundered to the ground just before the Mobster's feet…

The force of the blast sent Ladybug and Adrien flying through the air with separate cries of fear. Ladybug landed hard on the stone floor and looked up just in time to see the last remnants of the purple light disappear from the Parisian skyline. She nearly passed out with relief, they were back, they were safe, everything was going to be ok.

"Adrien!"

Her heart stopped.

As Ladybug forced herself upright, her eyes followed the source of the panicked shout.

Plagg was floating before her, yelling. His eyes were trained on the still body of a teenage boy, a teenage boy with blonde hair, a teenage boy who had completely captured her heart and was now the cause of it slamming into her throat painfully. His green eyes were closed, his head lulled to one side.

He wasn't breathing.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

It began to rain, great big water droplets smacking against the ruined part of the building, as an eerie after-battle calm settled on the city. It was as if Paris was trying to wash away the evils it had suffered. People nearby began to peer out of their windows, staring at the news channels in the vain hopes of spotting the Superheroes. All around the city, civilians stood a little closer together, hands were held, eyes were shut in silent prayers. They hoped that silence was golden, for if there was silence, it surely meant that the evil Akumatized man had been vanquished.

But as time went on, the quiet turned to disquiet. Couples turned to each other and whispered in hushed tones, the phone networks became inordinately busy, news stations grew slowly more chaotic as they frantically attempted to remain calm. All of them focused on the same question: Did their heroes win?

The rain fell harder.

None of the civilians would ever know of the anguish Ladybug felt at that moment, staring at her de-transformed partner lying on the darkening stone tiles. Her limbs were as heavy as the tank they had hidden behind what seemed like moments before...moments before her whole universe had been pulled out from beneath her feet, rendering her immobile. Raindrops fell against Adrien's cheek, trickling down into his hair. His eyes had yet to open. The hissing of the rain grew louder and louder as the storm grew heavier and heavier, the world disappeared into the darkness around her. All she could see was him.

"A- Adrien?" She heard a weak voice, a voice verging on the edge of tears and realised with a start that it was her own voice. Ladybug felt a burning in her lungs and realised she was not breathing herself, yet she felt a reluctance to do so. If she breathed, that meant this was real, that meant it wasn't just some horrible nightmare, that meant that she could breathe when Adrien could not and that simply wasn't true.

If he died, so did she.

"ADRIEN!" She found the strength to drag her heavy limbs towards him, her earrings beeped frantically but she didn't care. Let the world find out who she was, let the world see. Nothing mattered apart from the boy lying before her. She reached out towards him, but found she was unable to touch him, unwilling to feel for a heartbeat that might not be there.

"Kid, come on, wake up. Don't do this!" Plagg floated up to Adrien's face, his little black ears flat against his head. In her peripheral vision, Ladybug saw Mary rushing over, sliding down to Adrien's opposite side whilst the sound of Johnny comforting Marian reached her ears. She noticed all of it and none of it at the same time.

" _We have to use Miraculous Ladybug to fix everything, it'll mean we don't get a proper goodbye but I'd rather leave quick knowin' Adrien's gonna be alright,"_ The other Ladybug explained.

Ladybug couldn't move, even as her thoughts screamed at her to do something, _anything_. Her mind and soul were like water escaping from a closed fist. It was so cold, and she was so numb. But then a warm hand was placed on her shoulder, clutching it tight, anchoring her back to reality. She peered up and met kind brown eyes.

" _I know,"_ Mary stated simply glancing back at her husband for a brief second, a flash of pain in her eyes _"I've been there, but you have to be strong for him. We can do this together you understand me?"_

Ladybug pulled her lips tight and nodded. Without another word both of them threw their hands up towards the cloud-covered sky and Ladybug allowed hope to fill her. She closed her eyes and pictured her Adrien, Chat Noir, breathing and laughing, smiling and joking. This was going to work. This had to work. It _had_ to.

"MIRACULOUS LADY-"

" _cough, cough,"_

Both Mary and Marinette stopped talking immediately, their hands frozen in place. They glanced down at the boy in front of them with wide eyes.

"Kid? KID!" Plagg cried out as Adrien's green eyes opened wearily and he gave a weak smile.

"Hey Plagg," Adrien croaked, turning to one side his eyes closed once more and he began to cough and wheeze. His shoulders shook and his back muscles were tight, straining against his ruined dinner jacket.

Ladybug's arm dropped to the side and she immediately leaned over her partner, feeling like a drowning woman who'd just been pulled to the surface. Her muscles became as limp and light as Adrien's appeared taught and pained.

"Are you ok?" She asked, placing a hand onto his back as the last of his coughs subsided "you-you stopped breathing! We thought…" she couldn't say what she thought.

Adrian sat up on his elbows with a groan which reflected the aches inflicting his body "I'm ok, that unexpected bomb explosion really knocked the wind out of me though," his voice sounded like he hadn't drunk anything in decades but he grinned nonetheless "you might even say it blew me away."

SLAP.

If Adrien was bleary before he was certainly wide awake after the force of Ladybug's open palm collided against his cheek. Everybody stared at the scene in varying degrees of shock, even Marian had stopped crying. The young model reached up and rested his fingers against the red mark growing where his Lady had struck him.

"Ladybug…"

"Don't- don't you Ladybug me! Don't you dare make jokes!" Angry tears spilled out of Marinette's eyes, glinting as they caught the light, far more so than the raindrops they joined on her face. Her shoulders hunched and she averted her gaze, she hated the whimper that escaped from her lips "Why? Why did you do it? You weren't Chat Noir! You weren't super powered! Why did you push me out of the way? You could have- you could have- I could have lost-" She couldn't say or do anything else, all she could do was close her eyes and allow the tears to fall. Her head hung limply, wet strands of hair fell forwards, shielding her, hiding her weakness from the world even as her sobs laid them bare.

She felt calloused fingertips brush against her cheekbone, caressing it. They trailed down the side of her face, cupping her cheek. Adrien's thumb rested underneath her jawbone and tilted it upwards similar to the way he'd held her at the picnic that morning. God, was it really that morning? It seemed like a lifetime ago that they were invincible, laughing as they lounged under the endless blue sky. And now there they were, having barely escaped death, out in the pouring rain. She met his eyes, so vibrant and green against the dullness of the stormy night.

"Why did you push me out of Time Twisters way My Lady?" He asked simply, imploring to the very depths of her being, and she found she couldn't look away as her earrings gave one final beep and her transformation released. Tikki flew to Plagg wordlessly, placing a pink paw of comfort on top of the Black Kwami's own. Adrien's eyes were a fire she'd leap into without a second thought. She knew she couldn't lie to him- and she didn't want to anyway.

"I- I didn't think about it. I just knew I couldn't lose you Kitty," She replied truthfully, even if her truth was hardly more than a whisper. Adrien's thumb began to stroke her where it rested on her face.

"Just like I can't lose you," Adrien swallowed the lump in his throat. He leant up and rested on his knees. His other hand came to rest on the opposite side of Marinette's face as he continued to wipe her tears away "Miraculous or not, superpowers or not, you are my partner. I will never stop fighting by your side, I will never stop protecting you in the rare instances you need protecting. You mean too much to everyone and you mean everything to me- both as Ladybug and as Marinette."

Without another word Marinette wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him down to meet her lips, hoping that her kiss would be enough of a response to his heartfelt confession, for her mind seemed completely devoid of words. Deep down she knew she would have to say the words, _I'm so glad your safe, you mean everything to me too, I love you_ but, right at that moment, she could not possibly hope to say them the way he deserved to hear them. Adrien was caught off guard for only the faintest of seconds before he melted into her touch. His hand still cradled her face but one slid up to the back of her neck, his fingers playing with the top of her spine, earning a shiver from her. His heart glowed in triumph, in blissful agony, as he knew now that he was lost to her forever. He could never, ever leave her. Not as long as he lived. Adrien loved her too much and not enough. He needed more, he needed to love her _more_ , and desperately desired to give her all the love she was worthy of. For that he'd need to keep loving her his whole life, and that was a price he was willing to pay without a second thought.

" _Are that Ladybug and Cat Noir going to get married like you and Mummy did? They look like they want to."_

The pair pulled away from each other at the sound of Marian Jones' question, both staring at the young girl in Johnny's arms with matching looks of confusion and embarrassment. Adrien, embarrassed that he'd gotten carried away in front of a child, confused as to what she'd said; Marinette, mortified by the question and confused as to why Johnny and Mary were both laughing so hard.

" _I'm sure they will Little Lady,"_ Johnny responded as he shielded his daughter from the rain using his suit jacket. Ignoring Marinette's look of betrayal, Johnny Jones faced his wife with a huge grin on his face _"Mary…come and meet your daughter."_

Marinette pulled Adrien to his feet, supporting him as the pair watched Mary tentatively pad over to the little girl waiting with outstretched hands. A red glow lit the dull greyness of the night as Mary de-transformed (her Tikki went to hide in Johnny's jacket pocket with his Plagg) and she stepped into her child's embrace with eyes wide in awe.

" _Hi mummy!"_ The young girl chirped.

" _H-hi baby,"_ Mary replied, utterly dazed and utterly in love. She peeked up at Johnny who shook his head in wonder and pulled his wife and his daughter in tight. Next to her, Marinette heard a sniffle, looking up to see Adrien's chin wobble slightly, whimpering something about how beautiful it was and she was pretty sure she heard the word Catbug again. She sighed and shook her own head, a small smile crossed her features and she pulled Adrien in a little tighter.

"Silly Kitty," she whispered, leaning her head against him. The comforting hugs only lasted a moment longer, however, as thunder cracked the sky and they all jumped in shock. Crashing down upon them came the cold reality of the rain and the storm. The five turned to each other as they heard sirens blaring in the distance, and the distinct sounds of helicopters.

"So, we should probably get outta here before we get spotted," Johnny stated, saying what everyone was thinking "It'll be pretty hard to explain why five civilians are standing in the wreckage of a superhero fight."

They nodded in agreement, even as Marinette bit her lip, remembering her father's car keys were buried in the rubble along with the rest of her purse.

Oops.

* * *

Luckily for them, the Metro was surprisingly still running, and it was completely deserted.

Adrien wanted them to stop off near his house for something and asked Marinette to sneak into his room, whispering to her why, and she couldn't help but comply with his wish. It was too sweet not to.

After what seemed like hours, they made it back to Marinette's house (fawning over Marian the whole way) where they were able to safely feed their respective Kwami's in peace. Marinette felt in desperate need of a shower and a good night's rest but there was still the matter of making sure everything was set right to attend to. But as soon as she was about to transform in the comfort of her own living room, Mary stopped her.

" _Hang on Doll, don't it make sense if I do it? You said your folks were missing right? So when they come back how are they gonna react to seeing Ladybug in their home instead of their daughter? Don't worry, I'll do it!"_

Marinette glanced at the ground sheepishly, kicking herself for the thought which never occurred to her. Adrien placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

"Ok then, but I suppose I'll need to change as well, it'll be difficult to explain why I'm in party attire after an Akuma attack, can you help me get out of this dress though Mary?"She asked, wishing she'd had more foresight into the zipper placement on the dress. She'd not forget that mistake. When Mary blinked in confusion, Marinette realised she'd been speaking in French and blushed, repeating herself once more in English. Mary grinned.

" _Sure thing Doll,"_ She nodded grabbing Marinette's wrist and leading her to her room.

"No fair. How comes she helps you get out of that dress? What if I want to?" Adrien smirked as he flopped onto the sofa, wincing as he forgot the ache in his collar bone. When his eyes met Johnny's disapproving frown, the blood drained from his face as quickly as a blush formed on Marinette's and she scrambled up the stairs, slamming the latch shut behind her and Mary. Adrien swallowed, in his haste to crack a (somewhat…ok very) true joke, he'd forgotten Johnny could understand him. The older Cat was about to open his mouth, most likely to admonish him, when he was cut off.

"You can't help her out of the dress until your married. Only married people can see each other naked," Marian pouted, her arms crossed in front of her and she fixed Adrien with a look that was so like Johnny that he didn't know whether to laugh or cower. Johnny, meanwhile, was gaping at his daughter. He looked like he'd been dunked in ice.

Adrien settled on laughter.

"You are definitely your father's daughter little Catbug!" The young model replied with a wink "And don't worry, about the marriage thing, I'll work on that. That's a Chat Noir promise."

Marian seemed satisfied with that answer and went to sit beside Adrien as the three waited for the girl's to return.

"You speak French," Johnny spoke to his daughter in awe and Adrien could tell he still didn't quite know how to react around her. His movements seemed awkward and unnatural. The blonde boy could see Johnny falling even more in love with his daughter as the seconds ticked by. He couldn't blame him.

Marian rolled her eyes and the expression 'four years old going on fourteen' sprang to Adrien's mind. "Of course Daddy! You taught me. Mummy is right, sometimes you can be _so_ silly!" she giggled and swung her legs out beneath her as Mary and Marinette re-joined them. Perhaps Adrien had been wrong about Marian being completely like Johnny, that sassy tone was Mary all over.

As soon as Mary came to greet them she transformed. Adrien stood up with a groan and Marinette hurried to his side to support him. He grinned at her, feeling the warmth of her touch spreading through him like a warm bath. For a moment they all stared at each other silently, a slight sadness filled the apartment. There they stood, two different generations of superheroes and one little girl. A sudden melancholic realisation hit that it would probably be the last time they ever saw each other.

" _So,"_ Mary said quietly _"I guess this is goodbye then,"_

Adrien's eyes widened, he'd almost forgot!

"Hold up! Marinette can you hand me the bag?"

Marinette smiled and reached over to the coffee table, picking up the small plastic bag which had been the reason for their detour to his house, and gave the contents to Mary. The Broadway star glanced at all of the seven Harry Potter books now in her arms, her jaw grew slack and her eyes practically bulged out of her head.

" _He wanted you to have them,"_ Marinette explained with a beam _"his father gave him those English versions to help improve his grades and Adrien never got around to reading them, but he knew you wanted to see how the series ended and was worried you wouldn't get the chance to, the only thing is he wanted you to promise you'll keep it a secret from the world as to how it ends!"_

Mary threw her arms around Adrien and, when she'd finished squeezing him (stepping away quickly when he grunted in pain), she lightly tapped his arm and squealed in delight, showing them off to Johnny. Marinette laced her fingers into Adrien's and the five of them stepped into a huge embrace, feeling all too bittersweet. Johnny turned to Marinette and Adrien with a wide smile and a twinkle in his eye which Marinette felt like she'd come to know very well. She was going to miss it.

"Look after each other," He stated simply. The pair nodded back.

"We will. Have a good future and stay away from Paris for the whole of the 1940's," Adrien replied, earning a secret grin from Marinette "trust me on that."

Johnny's eyebrow raised in curiosity but he nodded nonetheless.

" _WAIT!"_ Marinette called and all five of them froze _"I just have one teeny, tiny favour to ask. I-if it's not too much trouble. In 1969, could you go to a festival called Newport '69 in California I think, and look for Alya? You know that girl who helped us earlier? She got caught in the first time attack and sent back there. A hippie hurt her."_

" _What's a hippie?"_ Johnny frowned.

" _Errm…well they're these group of people that like, celebrate love and freedom and music and I think they take a lot of drugs,"_ Marinette tried to explain awkwardly _"but one of them didn't get the message and tried to attack her."_

" _Say no more, we'll be there and we'll knock some sense into that no-good Hippie"_ Mary replied with a thumbs up and a grin _"see you on the other side!"_

And after one more group hug and countless goodbyes and well-wishes, Mary finally placed her hand in the air and cried out the signature move. Five became two as Mary, Johnny and Marian Jones disappeared behind the glow of red ladybugs, all going back to the place in time they were supposed to be. The missing phones, and Tom's car keys, appeared before them. Adrien's muscles grew languid as Miraculous Ladybug healed his ailments and even his fixed his suit. From below, Marinette's heart lifted as she heard her parents calling her name.

And just like that, the whole of Paris breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

It had been a long night of tearful reunions, relieved laughter and many, many hot chocolates, but Marinette and Adrien had finally succumbed to exhaustion. Tikki and Plagg were cuddled up together upstairs on Marinette's bed. Meanwhile their partners lay in each other's arms, legs spread out under the coffee table, Marinette's head rested on the table as Adrien snuggled into the nook in her shoulder. They hadn't fallen asleep that way, the pair had just naturally shifted together for comfort in the depths of their slumber.

Tom tip-toed over to the pair, draping a blanket over them as Sabine came to stand before him. Adrien and Marinette had spun them a tale of Adrien rushing over to Marinette's place to comfort her when he found out her parents were missing. He'd come straight from a modelling job, which explained the suit. They seemed to have bought the lie.

"Aww they look so sweet like that," Sabine cooed "they must be so tired."

"Well saving the city must be pretty exhausting, and lying to their parents even more so!" Tom chuckled as he came to stand by his wife's side, wrapping an arm around her waist "I have to say though, having to hide from all of those crazy crusaders made me pretty beat myself!"

There was a pause as Sabine bit her lip and Tom could tell what his wife was thinking even before she said the words.

"Tom, this wasn't just a normal fight. These two, they're going to face harder and harder battles as time goes on. What if they aren't so lucky next round?"

"Well, our daughter is a superhero darling. She was chosen for a reason whether we like it or not," Tom sighed, trying to hide the worry in his own voice "we can ground Marinette but we can't ground Ladybug. The city needs her too much. The most we can do is support them until they feel ready to tell us the truth."

"I know it's just…I just want her to always be safe. I want both of them to be safe," Sabine whispered as the couple retreated to their room, casting one last glance back at the sleeping teens. They seemed so fragile lying there, so delicate, so like children.

"I think they'll be fine. They have each other after all," Tom replied in an echo of Chat Noir's words from earlier in the night. The door to their bedroom closed, clicking shut behind them.

As soon as she heard the door close, Marinette's eyes flew wide open and she sat bolt-upright. The blanket tumbled from her shoulders as she stared after her parents. Adrien followed her movements moments after her, although he was watching her instead.

"Woah," He gasped.

"I- I know," Marinette responded, trying with all her might not to scream out loud "w-what am I going to do? What are- how did they- I- I-"

Adrien couldn't help the smirk rising on his face.

"Have I ever told you how utterly adorable you are when you're flustered like that?"

Marinette span around to pout at him in such a Ladybug like manner that it wiped the smirk straight from his face and all he wanted to do was kiss her again.

"Adriennnn," She whined, a smattering of red spread across her cheeks as she buried her face in her hands "seriously Kitty, what are we going to do?"

Adrien put his fingers to his chin, pretending to think. "Well for starters we could go back to sleep, then in the morning you could talk to your parents, get everything straightened out w-with them," He began to stammer, his heart beat approaching supersonic speeds as he began to say the words he'd practiced in his mind time and time again "a-and then I'd very much like to take you on a date."

Marinette's hand dropped into her lap and her shocked blue eyes met his sincere green ones. Adrien felt a tremble and wondered if it came from him, Marinette or both of them. His breathing shook and he tentatively reached out for her hand in comfort. His gaze held firm even as he wanted to run, tail between his legs, away from the gap between his question and her answer.

And then Marinette beamed at him, her head tilted to the side and she shrugged her shoulders upright. Adrien felt as though he could write a symphony about that tiny gesture, and felt his own smile matching hers.

"And I would like very much, for you to take me out on a date mon minou," She replied softly, gazing at him so warmly that he felt as though he'd never be cold again. She shuffled closer to him. Adrien's whole being lit up with electricity, with fire, with pure unadulterated joy. He laughed gently, not entirely sure why, and pressed his forehead against hers. Marinette closed her eyes and hummed contentedly whilst Adrien thrilled at the knowledge that he had all of the time in the world to discover the myriad of noises his partner could make. Their noses touched-

And then his phone began to ring.

Reluctantly, he pulled himself away from Marinette's embrace and stared at the phone, not entirely sure how to react when he saw just who was calling him so late at night. With one shaking hand, he picked up his phone and placed it against his ear, acutely aware of how cold the metal was against his skin. So much for always feeling warm.

"F-father?"

"Ah. Adrien. Good." The sounds of Gabriel Agreste's voice filled the empty space of the apartment and Marinette frowned "It has come to my attention that Paris was attacked in my absence. Nathalie discovered you weren't at home." It was an accusation, a demand for an explanation, but there was something else in his father's tone too. His voice sounded tired…concerned even?

"Oh, yes. I'm terribly sorry Father. I'm at my-" he glanced at Marinette, meeting the confused girl's eyes with an apologetic look. For some reason, unknown to even himself, he felt the need to protect Marinette from his father "I'm at my friend's house. Their parents were taken in the attack and I went to comfort them. I was very worried and didn't think things through. I apologise for not letting anybody know of my whereabouts. It was foolish of me."

"Hmm," Gabriel responded in a deep voice and Adrien winced, sure he was going to be punished. Marinette stared at the exchange, hating every second of it, hating how withdraw Adrien became whenever he talked about or to his father. It just seemed so wrong to her. She wanted to snatch the phone away from Adrien and scream at Gabriel Agreste, let him know just how lucky he was to have such an amazing son.

What Gabriel said next, floored them both.

"Well I'm glad you're ok son. I was…worried."

Adrien nearly dropped the phone.

"I- I'm fine Father. I promise. Ladybug and Chat Noir saved the day, everything is fine," He stumbled over his words, filled with a strange yearning inside. He wanted to hear his father say more things like that.

"Even so, I have decided to end my excursion early. I will be coming home in a few days. Make sure to get a good night's rest." Gabriel replied, his voice seemed rough and awkward, almost as though he'd forgotten how to talk to his son. Adrien couldn't remember having a conversation with him which lasted more than a few sentences, in all the time since his mother had disappeared.

"I-I will Father. Thank you."

"Goodnight Adrien."

"Goodnight…Dad."

There was a long silence on the end of the phone and finally, the line went dead. Adrien stared at the phone in his hand as if it were the long lost relic of an ancient civilisation, and Marinette wrapped her arms around him, pulling the blanket tight around them both. She leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"It looks like I'm not the only one that has to deal with their parents before our- our date," She whispered against his skin.

Adrien turned to her with an expression of disbelief and anxiety, his eyebrows crinkled and his lips pulled back. It was such a Chat-like expression that Marinette fought not to burst out laughing, and completely lost it when he replied-

"I'd rather take on the Nazi's again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for sticking with me during this story :) And there's a semi-sequel to it too! :D Set after the events of All That Jazz but no 1920's stuff (hence only being a semi-sequel, it's set in the same universe but you don't HAVE to read All That Jazz to understand the events of Redemption).
> 
> Just the epilogue to go now!


	21. Chapter 21

Epilogue

_**New York City- April 2022** _

The wind whistled around the tall skyscrapers and brown apartment blocks, rustling the blossoming trees. The sky was grey and overcast. It seemed to be a day just like any other. For most people in the city, it was. Business men hounded the financial district with angry phone calls, students went to their classes with sleep in their eyes, tourists trucked on through the endless sights of the city that never sleeps. Just your average, loud, busy day in New York. Same old, same old, as the saying goes.

Except for two secret Parisian superheroes, currently walking down a quieter street, hand in hand.

"I swear," Marinette grumbled, breaking contact with Adrien to bury her reddening face deeper into her equally red, woolly scarf "it wasn't as cold as this the last time I was here! I mean I know that was like a hundred years ago and climate change is a thing, but still!"

Adrien chuckled softly, adjusting the wind-swept jacket Marinette had insisted he bring. It was a little cold sure, but he was certain he would have been fine in a t-shirt. It was a good chill after all, a Spring chill, one which promised warmer weather was just around the corner. Still he couldn't help his amusement at how the dark haired young woman beside him had bundled up as if it were the depths of winter.

"You know you better be careful Princess," He teased, taking back her mitten-covered hand in his own gloveless one "you're starting to sound like an old woman!"

"I am an old woman," The twenty-something girl responded with a pout "I'm old and cold and I want a hot chocolate." Adrien tried not to laugh again even as she stuck her tongue out at him. He paid her grumbles no mind, cold weather always put Marinette in a slightly less than friendly mood, just like rain always put him in a bad mood. The after effects of being Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"I'll warm you up later," Adrien responded with a wink "look, we're almost there."

They moved past the last bunch of Brownstones, opening up the little iron gate at the end of the street and stepping into the small patch of greenery beyond. To anybody else it looked like an ordinary, simple graveyard with an ordinary, simple church but it made the pair grow very quiet, very quickly. A sombre tone settled as they traversed the narrow concrete path around to the back of the church yard. Nobody had been buried there for a long time and it showed. The path was lumpy due to the overgrown tree roots pressing against it from beneath the Earth. Weeds sprouted up amongst the weathered and worn gravestones, willow branches hung low, casting green shadows on the pair. Neither of them really absorbed any of their surroundings, both too busy concentrated on their search.

"There!" Marinette cried and then placed her hand over her mouth in embarrassment "I mean _there_ ," She corrected herself with a whisper, pulling Adrien to the tidiest corner of the graveyard. Both of their hearts skipped a beat when they saw the two simple marble graves sat next to each other. Simultaneously, it felt like a great epic moment and a small, intimate one. Marinette took a deep breath as she double checked the names on the graves, just to be completely sure she'd been right. The small stones, peeking out of the moss-covered ground, were so nondescript that they could have belonged to anybody; it was the clear bold font which gave them away:

 __ **Here lies John Jones**  
Beloved husband, father and grandfather.  
His kindness was as great as his accomplishments.  
He will be forever missed. RIP.

_**March 5** _ _**th** _ _**1908- October 19th 1995** _

_**Here lies Mary Vivian Jones** _

__**Beloved wife, mother and grandmother.  
She was a star in more ways than one.  
The world is less bright without her. RIP**

_**April 11th 1908- February 14th 1996** _

Marinette was unsure what to feel as she crouched down and opened her purse to let Tikki and Plagg float out. Should she feel grief? Sadness? An odd sort of happiness?

"This feels weird," Plagg stated, offering up a very honest and rather apt view "really, really weird. Why did we come here again?"

"To pay our respects," Adrien replied flatly, kneeling down beside Marinette. He chose to concentrate on the bittersweet melancholy of the moment as he gingerly placed down the flowers he'd been holding, making sure they were right in the middle of the two graves.

"H-Hi Mary. It's been a while," He whispered kindly, suddenly struck by far more emotion than he thought he'd feel. His chest grew tight. From his peripheral vision he spotted a flash of white and anchored his head backwards, blinking to adjust to the sight hovering before him. Marinette was offering him a tissue with a gentle smile.

"It's alright Kitty. I've got you're back," She stood up to relieve the cramping sensation in her legs, and pulled back to see Adrien watching her with an unreadable expression. After a brief pause he stood up too.

"How many of those do you have in there?" He asked as he took the tissue from her in thanks, dabbing the corners of his eyes.

"She's got at least three packs worth," Plagg interrupted Marinette with a wheezing chuckle before his partner had a chance to respond "she knows how much of a cry baby you are."

Tikki rolled her eyes as Adrien scowled at the Cat-Kwami "please, like you don't feel sad right now?" She responded with slight chiding in her tone.

"And also not all of those are for you, I get sniffly in this weather," Marinette added, pulling off her mittens and shoving them into her coat pocket so that she could hold both of Adrien's hands, feel the warmth which always seemed to radiate from them. She needed the comfort. It was too sad to know that just beyond their feet lay the remains of their friends and superhero predecessors. She could still picture Johnny's kind blue eyes and hear Mary's uproarious soulful laughter as if she'd heard them yesterday.

"I feel…things. I guess. I don't know. Like I said, it's weird," Plagg shrugged, but even he couldn't hide the sigh, or the way his ears drooped as he stared forlornly at the graves in front of him "ah well, I said my goodbyes a long time ago. I need a nap. This paying-respects thing is exhausting," The black Kwami flew back into Marinette's purse without another word and cuddled up into a corner, stubbornly closing his eyes. None of the others told him off for it. They understood.

"It's always hard letting go of a Ladybug and a Chat Noir," Tikki responded quietly before turning to Marinette and Adrien "That hasn't changed in thousands of years and I don't think it ever will. I'll leave you two alone, I could do with some alone time myself." The little pink Kwami kissed the graves, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes, before she too retreated into Marinette's little purse, closing it behind her as she went.

After a short pause, where both of them tried to get a grip on their emotions, Adrien leaned down to touch Mary's death date. They'd known it for a long time, that Johnny had died first, quietly in his sleep, that Mary had passed away of heart failure roughly four months later. But seeing it on her grave made it so much more real.

"Do you think she did it deliberately?" He uttered in a hushed tone, stepping back once more.

Marinette tilted her head at his back in confusion "Did what deliberately?"

"Went, you know, on Valentine's day. It's just like her isn't it? To plan her reunion with her husband in the afterlife, plan it so she reunited with him on the most romantic day of the year? I think she did it on purpose," He nodded, his heart lifting at the same time as it grew heavy from his own belief and Marinette found herself watching him with such fondness she couldn't help but wrap her arms around his waist, burying her face into his back.

"As romantic as that sounds, I'm not sure people can plan deaths that way," She responded softly "It's a lovely thought though."

He glanced at her over his shoulder, sighing in content.

"No. I know it. She definitely died on purpose that day. I mean how sweet is that? Can you imagine it? Johnny's in the spirit world or heaven or wherever, forlornly thinking that it's going to be the first ever Valentine's day without his wife by his side and then wouldn't you know it, Mary's spirit shows up and is all _'I don't think so pal!'_ and then they live happily together forever."

Marinette laughed but it came out more as a contented hum "you sap; I still can't believe I'm marrying someone as mushy as you."

Adrien pretended to gasp in shock, grabbing his fiancées hand, spinning around and lifting it up to his face to double check the elegant engagement ring was still on her finger. Ignoring her giggles, he feigned a sigh of relief when he could see it still there, a simple diamond in the middle flanked by a black sapphire on the left and a red ruby on the right. He reached up and kissed her knuckles.

"But M'Lady you are marrying me, quite happily I'd assume given your own tears during my proposal," He smirked before his face grew serious, his green gaze grew deep "and you know I'd do the same for you."

Marinette returned the smirk that had left her partners face, "what, die? Please don't. I quite like having you around," she nudged him playfully as she began making a list with her free hand "and it would be an awful hassle to have to cancel the wedding venue, and the photographer, and my dress, and the caterer, and the-"

Adrien interrupted her with a chaste kiss to the nose "I know- I know," He responded "like we promised, a hundred years."

"A thousand," Marinette countered.

"An eternity," Her fiancée pledged.

"A MINUTE," Plagg's muffled cry rang out from the depths of Marinette's bag "of peace from you guys being all lovey dovey, is it too much to ask? A MINUTE?!"

"Not a chance Plagg," Adrien called back, but the pair grew quiet nonetheless, glancing back at their friend's graves. Adrien's watch beeped, letting them know they needed to get going, yet neither of them moved. The wind, which had died down, picked up again but that wasn't why they moved closer together.

"I wish I could see them again," Marinette sighed after a long pause "I wish I could share the happiness they felt in their lives, I wish we could share our triumphs with them too. Would they smile with us? Would they be proud do you think?"

Adrien wrapped his arm around her shoulder, squeezing it tight.

"If you can make my _father_ proud of your accomplishments, you can make anybody proud of you Princess," He replied, nuzzling her cheek. His eyes raked over Johnny's grave, and he had to wonder the same thing. Would Johnny be proud of the man he'd become? After all, Johnny won his own Ladybug's heart and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with her. Would the former Cat Noir think Adrien was worthy of the same thing?

"Same to you. I think they'd be very proud of you, and I'm sure they'd both be happy for us," Marinette stuck her chin up defiantly, as if daring the universe to disagree with her opinion and Adrien found himself struck once more by how head over heels he was for his soon-to-be wife. He smiled to himself and they both said another goodbye to their two friends, making their way back down the concrete path and back towards the street. Both silently hoped, by some cosmic miracle, that they would see Johnny and Mary again one day. Neither of them said it out loud, but they had faith.

After all, if pieces of jewellery could grant them magical powers, anything was possible.

* * *

Adrien willed himself to shut his mouth, but his brain didn't seem to want to listen.

"Ok Mama, I promise. Yes, we're fine," His partner was by the window of their hotel room, currently speaking on her phone, having no idea that Adrien had just re-entered the room and was staring at her like he was a teenager falling in love all over again "we went to go see them today actually, it was a very sweet little graveyard… a little sad but I'm glad we went. Anyway Mama I have to go, tell Papa I'll get him a Statue of Liberty hat and maybe he'll stop going on about it! Ok, love you, bye!" Marinette hung up the phone with a little giggle, but the laughter died in her throat when she caught sight of her fiancées heated gaze.

"You look handsome," She blushed, even after all their years together she still couldn't fight the redness that frequently flew to her cheeks. Especially when he looked at her like that and doubly so when he wore suits. Damn did he look good in a suit, especially after his growth spurt when they were eighteen. Sure she had to stand on tip-toes now to kiss him, but it was completely worth it.

Adrien stepped closer to her with heavy footsteps, like a cat stalking its prey.

"Thank you," He replied, wrapping his arms around her satin-covered waist, his eyes trailed down the length of her body hungrily "and really Princess, you ought to change. It's unfair. You're going to take attention away from the Bride at her own reception. Here, let me help you find something more suitable. For starters we need to get you out of this dress."

As he slowly trailed kisses down the length of her neck, Marinette tilted her head backwards on instinct alone. A small gasp escaped her lips.

"Adrien," She responded weakly "we're going to be late."

"Mmhmm," He agreed with a low hum against her skin. His fingernails dug into her hips and god help her she had to close the gap between them further, had to lift his head up and meet his lips with her own, it was utterly necessary for her mental state to do so. Really she was just being responsible, looking after her brain, she didn't want to go mad from denying what it wanted so desperately. They moved together so that Marinette's back was pressed against the window frame, the coldness of the glass sent a shiver through her which she didn't mind one bit. Closing her eyes against the feel of her partner's hands on her skin, acutely aware of the sound of her zipper being pulled down, she found herself forgetting that they had an important event to go to, forgetting that they were in a completely different city entirely, forgetting that-

_**RING RING RING RING** _

Adrien rested his head on Marinette's shoulder, heaving a huge shaky sigh whilst the dark-haired girl blinked in confusion. After a few moments, in which the only sounds were the thrumming of their hearts and the smart mirror continuing to ring, Adrien pulled back and trudged towards the source of their interruption. Poking the mirror with his finger, he almost blanched when his father's face came into view, filling up the mirror as if he were standing on the other side. Adrien still wasn't used to video calling on these things, but he tried to play it cool nonetheless.

"Hey Hawkpapa, how's it going?"

"Adrien," Gabriel responded, massaging his temples "how many times must I tell you to stop calling me that?"

"When it stops being funny," Adrien shot back with a wicked grin, out of the corner of his eyes he saw Marinette adjusting her hair and pulling her zipper back up, only feeling the tiniest hint of guilt that he was to blame for her having to do so.

"I was just calling to check how you were, and if you were running on time," His tone was laced with accusation but Adrien could hear the amusement in his voice. _He knows_ Adrien thought.

"Oh, hey Nooroo, how's the cold?" he asked loudly as the purple Kwami floated on-screen next to Gabriel. His father raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more on the matter and Adrien fought not to sigh with relief.

"Um, well, it's ok. Better now than it was," the butterfly-esque Kwami responded shyly "I think I should be back up and running by tomorrow."

"That's good, we're glad to hear it Noroo. Paris needs you and Lilenn to guard it whilst we aren't there," Marinette replied, referring to the Peacock Kwami as she came to stand beside Adrien, waving hello to Gabriel as she did so.

"Is that from your floral evening collection?" Gabriel asked with an inquisitive upturn of his mouth. Marinette smiled and nodded "stand back, let me observe."

Marinette complied and twirled around. She was wearing a red fishtail dress with an off-the-shoulder neckline, the fishtail widened at the golden hem, folding over many layers and giving the impression of a blossoming gold-tipped rose hanging upside down. Adrien glowed with pride, having watched her talent grow year on year, every design just seemed to get better and better.

"Exquisite," Gabriel voiced Adrien's own opinion with an approving nod "Modest yet flattering, guaranteed to draw attention yet not too much away from the Bride. An excellent choice Marinette."

"Your son didn't seem to think so, he thinks I'll distract everyone," Marinette replied with a teasing smirk at the betrayed grimace that crossed Adrien's face. Gabriel raised an eyebrow.

"Yes well, love clouds a man's judgement of fashion. Even ones who have spent many years in the fashion industry,"

"Are you talking about me or you, Dad?" Adrien shot back, trying to hide the mortified tone in his voice "because I'm going to tell mum you said that either way!"

"By all means attempt to get your own father in trouble," Gabriel replied, his eyes lighting up in challenge "besides your mother looks irresistible when she's angry."

"I'M HANGING UP THE PHONE NOW! WE'RE LEAVING THE ROOM! WE'RE ON TIME! SEE YOU BACK IN PARIS GOODBYE HAWKPAPA!" Adrien choked, pressing the end-call button before Gabriel had a chance to respond. As Marinette roared with laughter beside him, the blonde model buried his face in his hands. He didn't miss the time when his father had been cold and emotionless much, but now was definitely one of those times.

* * *

They'd been lucky enough to secure a room in the same hotel as the wedding reception, so it was with no small amount of relief that they realised they wouldn't be late despite their previous distractions.

Marinette began patting down her dress, checking her hair in the reflection on the elevator doors and fiddling with her engagement ring, something Adrien had come to realise she did as a calming habit when she felt apprehensive.

"You nervous?"

"No," Marinette squeaked "I mean, yes. It's just- can you blame me? We haven't seen her in ninety years for her and she did so much in that time. I mean, she's a pioneer for women's rights. Without her and women like her, I probably wouldn't have been taken half as seriously as a designer as I am now, the progress we've made over the past century in terms of equality- it's all down to women like her and their efforts. So of course I'm nervous."

"Yes but, we also helped saved her life when she was four years old," Adrien countered fairly "I'm sure she's going to love you."

The doors opened and they stepped into the hotel reception room, Adrien handing their invitations over to the bodyguards at the entrance. Inside had been decorated with many twinkling fairy lights, the round tables were covered in purple hibiscus petals and pale blue candles for centrepieces. Purple lights hung low from the concave ceiling, making it seem as though they'd stepped into an enchanted castle. People were already milling around, making small talk in fancy evening gowns. Some had witnessed the 'beautiful' and 'deeply moving' ceremony, as Adrien overheard them call it whilst he led Marinette to their reserved seats. Both craned their heads and scanned the crowd as they walked.

"Still no sign of Catbug, or any other the other Catbugs," Adrien said with a sigh. They knew what Johnny and Mary's three (out of five) remaining children looked like, but hadn't spotted any of them as they came to sit down. The tension and nerves pouring from Marinette were becoming infectious, but Adrien was still more excited than anything.

Marinette frowned, placing her elbows on the table and fixing Adrien with an incredulous stare.

"If we have children you're going to call them Catbugs too one day aren't you?" She asked.

Adrien thought about it for a moment, resting against the back of the high arched leather chair. After a brief moment he peered at Marinette, who waiting for his response with a glint of mischief in her eyes. His stomach flipped at her mention of children.

"I could always call them something else," He replied, considering other ways to amalgamate their superhero names "Ladynoirs?"

Marinette snorted "What if they're boys?"

"Lordnoirs,"

"That sounds like the name of a gentlemen's escort company or something," Marinette wrinkled her nose even as her shoulders shook with mirth "you know, Catbug is fine."

"Catbug it is," Adrien grinned, reaching across the table to grab her hand.

"Speaking of Catbugs," a voice behind them interrupted their conversation and Adrien jumped uncharacteristically. When he glanced up he noticed Marinette staring at a spot above and behind his chair, her eyes the size of saucers. He turned around-

And came face-to-face with Johnny's blue eyes. But it wasn't Johnny he was looking at.

"Hello you two," Marian greeted in perfect French "long time no see."

Marian Jones-Bryant stood before them, taller than she had been when they'd last seen her. Adrien couldn't help but remember the tiny firecracker four-year-old who'd barely reached his mid-thigh in height, with grass stains and a grin as wide as her mother's. The smile was still there, only now on a ninety-four-year-old face instead. Her hair was silver, which only made the blue of her eyes stand out more, the laughter lines on her face and around her eyes were deep. She wore a vibrant teal shawl and stood up straight, not a hobble in sight. In short Marian Jones-Bryant didn't look her age one bit.

As both Adrien and Marinette scrambled awkwardly to stand up, she shook her head and raised her hand.

"No, no. By all means keep sitting. We have a lot to catch up on I think, and I don't want to be standing up all this time. I may be young at heart, but my feet aren't."

Both of them tentatively sat back down as the original Catbug sat on a chair opposite them, pulling out a leather bound photo album and a brown envelope which had been previously tucked under her arm. She put them both on the table and fixed the two with a knowing stare. There was a short moment of silence and Adrien shifted in his seat, fighting the urge to scratch at his hair awkwardly.

"Thank you for inviting us here," Marinette said courteously and Marian chuckled.

"Oh so formal! Why are we talking like business partners when if it weren't for you two, none of this would even be happening right now hmm?" Marian laced her fingers together and rested her chin on them. Her eyes twinkled and Marinette found herself so strongly reminded of Johnny that she felt a bittersweet ache in her guts. It was true though, the wedding had been between Mary Scott (Marian's great granddaughter), a famous Broadway performer and Tony award winning actress in her own right, and her co-star Joshua Smith. The wedding had been the talk of the town for months now, everyone had been invited so it had been the perfect excuse to reunite with the Jones family after so many years.

"Well, if it wasn't for your parents we probably wouldn't be together now," Adrien responded in kind, shifting closer to his fiancée "or at least probably would have taken a lot longer to get together."

Marian chuckled "yes, yes we have a lot to be thankful for. Most especially the fact that you're able to drink in America now. Speaking of which, waiter!" she called over a busy busboy and whispered her order in his ear, sending him away with a cheeky grin.

Whilst they were waiting for their drinks, and for the bride and groom to finally arrive, they swapped stories. Marian opened the photo album and they huddled around it whilst she showed them photos which the internet didn't even have. They told the story of Mary and Johnny's life, how they'd moved to Hollywood after the Wall Street Crash, then retired to the south after they made their fortunes in film. A photograph of a dirt-covered Mary, posing with a wrench in one hand, next to a plane showed how the couple had helped out the home-front during the second world war (Johnny being too old to register, especially with his shoulder wound aggravating him "so really you saved their lives twice!" Marian said as Marinette blushed). They laughed when they came to a polaroid selfie from 1969, where the sixty-one-year-old Johnny was in the background tackling a much younger hippie to the ground and Alya had her arm around a winter-haired Mary, both covered in mud and grinning ear-to-ear.

Adrien and Marinette were just finishing telling the story of their engagement when the waiter returned with their drinks. Marian took the tray and handed them both the glasses full of whiskey.

"Here, drink this. It's no longer illegal in good-ol' America," She shot them a knowing look and the pair burst out laughing. The three raised their glasses in toast to loved ones gone but never forgotten, just as the crowd around them burst into applause. The bride and groom had finally arrived and the laughter lines on Marian's cheeks dimpled further from her amusement "oh you guys are in for a treat," she said, standing up and motioning for the pair to do the same. The crowd parted for the faintest of seconds and Adrien and Marinette's mouths fell open at the sight of the beaming bride before them.

"No…" Marinette gasped.

"But she looks just like-" Adrien spluttered.

"I know, it's uncanny isn't it? And hilarious. My own great-granddaughter, the spitting image of my mother and a Broadway star to boot! You couldn't make this stuff up if you tried," Marian laughed, throwing her head back to the ceiling as she did so. When she'd finished she wiped her eyes "Oh I do miss them though. We had such fun, all seven of us. Even more so once the second generation of Catbugs started arriving. But now I'm being a sentimental old fool, here take these and distract me from my memories before I get all misty-eyed," She handed them the small brown envelope which Adrien opened curiously. There was nothing inside except for two gold rings. Marinette gasped, cottoning on before he did.

"They wanted you to have them, mum and dad did, because they knew you'd get married one day. My mother was never wrong about these things," Marian explained with a watery smile "and I have to say that none of us ever disagreed with their decision. Like I said, it's because of you two that we were even born to begin with. My dear mum said that she hoped they give you as good luck and as many years as they did for the both of them. Dad said that if I didn't give them to you, he'd come and haunt us so I guess now he can rest doubly easy eh?"

Adrien finally understood, and stared in awe whilst he took Mary and Johnny's wedding rings from the envelop as if they were the most precious gems in all creation. His eyes snapped up to Marinette, who was holding out a napkin to him as she herself wiped her eyes on one. He felt the lump rise in his throat and was just about to try and formulate some form of thanks when a jazzy tune began to play on the loudspeakers. The bride and groom were about to start their first dance.

Marian clutched her heart and leaned her shoulders back with a loving smile "ah jazz music, now you two simply must have some sort of jazz band at your wedding. I absolutely insist on that!"

Marinette stepped closer to Adrien's side and looked up to him, nodding her head as her whole being seemed to light up from within. She remembered the night so long ago, when she'd stood on Johnny's feet and the radio had told them to sing, sing, sing as they dance, dance, danced. She recalled Mary twirling in front of the mirror in her old bedroom in Paris, humming that same tune herself. Adrien grinned, wrapping his arm around her as he turned back to Marian.

"I think we can manage that," He agreed.

"Absolutely," Marinette added with a giggle, glancing down at the rings in Adrien's hand, the rings that had been with Johnny and Mary throughout their whole lives and would hopefully be on hers and Adrien's for a great many years to follow too. She stood up on tip-toes and leaned up to kiss Adrien's cheek "after all Kitty, what's life without a little Jazz music?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohmygossssh it's finally over!
> 
> Thanks so much for sticking with me during this wonderful journey. I must say it was really hard to right this chapter because of all the feels. I didn't want to let this story go!
> 
> I honestly cannot thank you all enough, I think I need one of Marinette's tissues because I'm getting misty-eyed myself. Ahhhh. You guys are wonderful for reading and enjoying this story and please feel free to talk to me (and cuddle me) whether here or on tumblr. I've made some lovely tumblr friends because of this story so don't be shy! :) There are a few deleted scenes/scenes that ran differently from this story that I may write and post on my tumblr page if you guys are interested. Plus I'll be doing a few other stories, Redemption is a sort-of sequel (or spiritual successor to this story) and I'm also working on Smoulder, which is a separate reveal fic. 
> 
> I'm also working on an original novel about Mary and Johnny, their origins story. If anyone wants to read that! :D
> 
> I'm off to play video games and eat chocolate. Once again thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your kind words. Keep being miraculous!
> 
> Until the next time, this has been Midnightstarlightwrites. Goodnight guys! XxXx


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